Education level a bigger source of polarization than ethnic diversity: SCP

Education level can be much more polarizing among Netherlands residents than ethnic diversity, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) concluded in two research reports on social cohesion. According to the agency, social cohesion has been stable at a high level since 2012 and will remain so in the future, despite the often expressed concerns about increasing polarization.

For the reports Together Different and Living Together in the Future the SCP looked at the things that glue society together - the extent to which Netherlands residents trust each other, the press, politicians, and government institutions, as well as how active they are in volunteer work and associations.

Compared to other countries, the Netherlands scored well on all fronts. Dutch people tend to trust each other, volunteer, and vote in the elections. “Many people feel connected to each other and feel at home in the Netherlands,” the SCP said. That has been the case since at least 2012. Most future scenarios show that this will remain the case in 2050.

While there are definitely ethnic biases among Netherlands residents - “About a quarter of our country's residents have a negative opinion of fellow countrymen with a Polish, Turkish, Moroccan or Somali background. That share has also been stable for a long time,” SCP researcher Isolde Wottiez explained to NU.nl - the agency found that the differences in opinions are much wider between education levels than ethnic backgrounds.

“The differences in, for example, trust in each other or in politics are greater between people with, for example, a higher professional education and a pre-vocational secondary education than when you compare people with and without a migration background,” Wottiez told the newspaper.

In future diversity studies, the SCP will therefore focus more on things like education and less on migration. “You can no longer divide people purely on the basis of their migration background,” a spokesperson for the agency told NU.nl. “They are no longer a homogenous group these days. Their views and interests vary enormously, just like people without a migration background.”

In order to further promote social cohesion, the SCP suggests that policymakers “create opportunities” for people to encounter others outside their circles. “On the schoolyard, at parties, or on the street,” the SCP spokesperson said. “Familiarity breeds affection.”