Half of Dutch support increasing Defense spending after Trump's election win
A half of Dutch citizens favor increasing defense spending beyond NATO’s 2 percent GDP guideline, even if it means reallocating funds from other government initiatives, according to a recent survey by EenVandaag. Of the more than 23,000 respondents, 51 percent said they supported raising defense spending above the NATO threshold. This sentiment was shared across political lines, including voters from coalition parties VVD, PVV, NSC, and BBB. "This has everything to do with Trump’s potential return to power," one PVV voter commented in the survey. "He will abandon us, so we must prepare ourselves."
Support was more divided among left-leaning voters. A D66 supporter noted: "Given the current geopolitical context, I understand the need, but it’s a shame that this money isn’t being spent on climate policy instead."
The Dutch government under former Prime Minister Mark Rutte significantly boosted defense spending, increasing the budget from 11 billion euro in 2023 to 21 billion euro in 2024, achieving NATO’s 2 percent target. However, NATO Secretary General and former Dutch Prime Minister Rutte has since called on European nations, including the Netherlands, to invest even more in their militaries.
Despite higher defense investments, public trust in the Dutch military has declined, dropping from 57 percent in February 2023 to 49 percent in late 2024. This decline is attributed not to reduced military capability but to skepticism about the Netherlands' ability to compete with global powers like Russia and China.
"We’ve made some progress after years of cuts," said one VVD voter. "But our adversaries have spent far more. I’m less confident we can stop them if it comes to that."
An opposition voter and former military employee echoed these concerns: "We have motivated soldiers with a lot of knowledge and expertise, but it’s simply not enough to address future threats."
The survey revealed widespread support for NATO, with 85 percent of respondents emphasizing the importance of the Netherlands’ membership in the alliance. Voters across the political spectrum, except those from the FVD party, agreed on its significance.
While confidence in NATO itself stood at 61 percent, 59 percent of respondents believed the alliance would become increasingly important to the Netherlands in the coming years.
"Defense lacks personnel, and people aren’t signing up en masse," wrote one NSC voter. "We have no choice but to cooperate with others."
A smaller group, 37 percent of respondents, opposed raising defense budgets, citing fears of a global arms race and concerns over the effectiveness of increased funding.
"You can pour money into the military endlessly, but what will we spend it on?" one participant asked. "We’ll never have enough personnel to operate all the weapons we could buy."
