More volunteers going door-to-door to talk to people and decrease polarization

In the lead-up to local elections, volunteers across the Netherlands are using a technique called “deep canvassing” to connect with voters on polarizing issues. According to NOS, the approach focuses on personal conversations rather than traditional campaigning.

Deep canvassing began in the U.S. in 2008 during debates over same-sex marriage and encourages volunteers to speak one-on-one with voters, share personal stories, and listen actively to differing opinions. “The core is listening to the other person: that is about 70 percent of everything,” Eefje Hendriks of Deep Canvassing Nederland told NOS. Volunteers are trained in three steps to ensure conversations remain respectful and focused on personal exchange.

The method originated when U.S. LGBTQ activists discovered that personal dialogue could change opinions more effectively than leaflets or slogans. “They realized that some people could change their minds, especially when they felt heard and could share personal stories,” Hendriks explained.

Deep Canvassing Nederland, which started in 2023 with three founders, has grown to a network of 150 to 200 volunteers. This weekend, the organization held its Landelijke Canvasdag XL, hosting training sessions at dozens of locations for volunteers preparing to meet voters in neighborhoods.

Experts caution that while deep canvassing shows results in the U.S., its effectiveness in the Netherlands is not yet fully proven. Mariken van der Velden, a professor of politics and media at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, said, “About 80 percent of all research on this comes from the United States. There it consistently works. But that does not automatically mean it will work here.”

Van der Velden also questioned whether personal conversations are always necessary for impact. “Maybe watching a video is just as effective as a personal talk. That may relate to ‘transportation’: the way people can empathize with a character in a video, similar to a real-life conversation.”

Both Van der Velden and Hendriks pointed out that there was comparative research. Hendriks said, “We track data on conversations and want to analyze it. You have to do it before you can study it, and from our personal experience, deep canvassing has value.”