Number of Dutch citizens who think National Remembrance day is important drops slightly

Around 80 percent of Dutch citizens think that the National Remembrance Day on May 4 is important or very important. But the percentage of people who think it is important has dropped slightly compared to last year. This was reported by the National Committee for 4 and 5 May based on their annual National Freedom Survey.

Last year, around 41 percent of the respondents felt that National Remembrance Day was still very important. That figure has dropped to 38 percent this year.

A spokesperson for the national committee reported that there is no scientific explanation for this but that it is possibly due to a change in demographics in society and the fact that the first generation of war victims is dying out.

Almost three quarters of Dutch citizens thinks that Liberation Day, which falls on May 5, is important or very important.

Incidentally, more people followed the National Remembrance in 2024 than in 2023, 73 percent compared to 68 percent in 2023. There were also more conversations about the remembrance, and more people hung their flags at half-mast. The Liberation Festivals were visited more often last year than the year before.

There was an increase last year in participants who said that they remembered the dead from the Second World War due to fear that it could happen again. The number of people who thought this was up to 64 percent, compared to 58 percent in 2024.

Participants’ other reasons for remembering the dead were mostly out of respect for the victims, to remember the importance of freedom and gratitude for the people who fought for freedom during the war.