Nearly 1.4 million Dutch people think their neighborhood is deteriorating

Nearly 1.4 million Netherlands residents feel that their neighborhoods have deteriorated over the past two years. They particularly experience more nuisance and feel less safe than two years ago, AD reports based on a biennial study by Atlas Research, commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations.

The increase in nuisance and unsafe situations isn’t entirely surprising, Atlas Research researcher Marten Middeldorp told the newspaper. “In the previous study, we were just emerging from he coronavirus crisis and were still spending a lot of time indoors. Now people are going out more, and so we’re seeing more nuisance and feelings of being unsafe. Crime figures are also rising after years of decline.”

The study looked at dozens of aspects that make a neighborhood pleasant or unpleasant to live in, from air quality to vacant buildings, and from social cohesion to violent crime. In addition to nuisance and safety, the researchers also noted more complaints about vacancy rates and the level of amenities offered.

Doetinchem is the municipality that saw the sharpest decline in its overall score over the past two years. The city acknowledged that there are areas that could do with improvement, but stressed that things aren’t going badly. Doetinchem still scores a comfortable passing grade.

Researcher Middeldorp also stressed that the increase in complaints is not yet a downward trend. Just over a million Dutch people reported that their neighborhoods have improved over the past two years. "The development is different from previous times, but the quality of life in the Netherlands remains excellent,” he told AD.