More polarization between voters for opposition and coalition parties

Polarization between voters in the Netherlands is increasing, NRC reported based on an as-yet-unpublished study by Kantar. People who voted for the new Rutte IV coalition parties are remarkably satisfied, while those who voted for the opposition are increasingly skeptical.

"Confidence among the opposition parties is shockingly low, while support among the coalition parties is astronomically high," researcher Manuel Kaal said to the newspaper. "This polarization is much stronger than at the start of previous Cabinets."

The brand new coalition consists of the same parties as the Rutte III coalition - VVD, D66, CDA, and ChristenUnie. Among voters for these parties, there is still a high degree of confidence between citizens and politicians. For example, 86 percent of the CDA voters, and 78 of the VVD voters have confidence in Rutte IV.

This confidence is severely lacking among people who voted for opposition parties and not only those who voted for the far-right parties and generally distrust politics. Only 5 percent of GroenLinks voters trust Rutte IV. The same is true for 1 percent of SP voters and 14 percent of those who voted for VOLT's constructive new party.

In total, only a quarter of voters in the Netherlands have confidence in the Rutte IV coalition.