Ethnically diverse people feel ignored by Dutch politics: SCP

Ethnically diverse Dutch people feel less represented by politics than people with no immigration background. The first group also has less confidence in politicians, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) concluded after research.

According to the SCP, ethnically diverse people do not feel heard in politics. They experience that topics they consider important are pushed aside or downplayed, the researchers said. According to the planning agency, Dutch people with a practical level of education also often find that “politicians do not know their world, that they are not interested in them, and look down on them.”

Ethnically diverse Dutch people also find politics “too white and not sufficiently diverse.” They attach importance to politicians with an immigration background but, at the same time, indicate that more diverse people in politics won’t solve the entire problem. “According to the respondents to the study, political parties like BIJ1 and DENK are given little space in the political system and are, therefore, not sufficiently effective, which contributes to the feeling of not being represented by politics,” the researchers said.

The researchers worry about a vicious circle: “Problems of voter groups that participate less receive less attention. The feeling of not mattering is further reinforced, and this then leads to a greater perceived gap with politics and even less political attention.”

It is up to politicians to turn the tide, the planning agency said. “Firstly, consider which ways underrepresented groups can gain equal access to all parts of the political system, such as parliament and municipal councils, but also to administrative positions like mayors and aldermen. Secondly, political parties themselves can work more actively on diversity and inclusion policies within their organization.”