Voters have little confidence in politics and don't expect improvement
The vast majority of Dutch voters have little confidence in politics and don’t expect things to improve after the upcoming election, Ipsos I&O found in its annual Budget Day survey for NOS.
Only 29 percent of voters have some or a lot of confidence in politics. 68 percent have little to no confidence. Only 18 percent expect the political situation to improve after the parliamentary elections on October 29.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents, across all parties, said they distrust politicians because they don’t cooperate with each other, don’t have solutions to the problems facing the Netherlands, and are too self-absorbed.
Last year, just after the PVV, VVD, BBB, and NSC Cabinet took office, 44 percent of voters said they had confidence in politics. At the time, confidence particularly increased among people with mid and lower levels of education, Ipsos I&O researcher Asher van der Schelde said.
“These groups vote for the PVV and BBB more than average. With the Schoof Cabinet, they hoped their interests would be better served. That didn’t happen, so confidence among these groups has also returned to the level it was before the previous elections,” the researcher said. PVV voters’ confidence fell from 50 to 14 percent. Among BBB voters, it fell from 50 to 14 percent.
Only 15 percent of respondents are satisfied with the caretaker government. This is the same as in April, before the Schoof Cabinet collapsed twice. The double collapse, therefore, had little impact on how voters feel about the Cabinet.
Voters are also generally unhappy with the government’s policies. 68 percent are dissatisfied with the asylum and migration policies. That percentage is much higher among right-wing voters - 87 percent of PVV voters and 92 percent of JA21 are unhappy with how the government is handling migration. The housing market and the healthcare system also worry voters, with 64 and 53 percent, respectively, saying they’re dissatisfied with these policies.
