Four in ten Dutch worried about immigration and housing shortage, study shows

A KPMG study shows that 40% of people in the Netherlands are seriously concerned about immigration levels and the housing shortage. More than half also worry about the rising cost of living. The research finds that hundreds of thousands of people, around 2% of the population, are unable to make ends meet, while one in four is forced to tightly manage their spending to get by.

A majority of 57 percent expect the Dutch economy to worsen over the next year, according to Ipsos I&O research. The same study also finds that 70 percent of people in the Netherlands are worried about the conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran.

“More than half say they have saved money in the past month due to rising energy costs as a result of the war, for example by driving less or turning down the heating,” KPMG reports. Nearly half of Dutch people therefore saw no reason to change their way of life.

A 57% majority of people in the Netherlands expect the economy to deteriorate over the next year. While inflation reached 2.7% in March 2026, driven mainly by energy and fuel costs, wage growth under collective agreements is forecast at 3.7% to 4.2%. That is enough to avoid an overall loss in purchasing power, but the resulting gain is limited, averaging just 0.9% to 1.3%, below earlier expectations.

Even with this modest improvement, several hundred thousand people, about 2% of the population, still consistently fall short of what they need to cover basic living expenses.

The housing shortage in the Netherlands is estimated at around 400,000 homes, according to recent calculations by housing market research institutes such as ABF Research and the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning.

Construction material prices have increased in recent years, partly due to the war in Ukraine and broader supply chain disruptions. This adds to the pressure on the Dutch ambition to build around 100,000 new homes per year, which is also affected by factors such as labour shortages and regulatory constraints.

Not only consumers but also businesses have become more cautious. Economic uncertainty, including fluctuating energy prices and broader geopolitical tensions affecting trade, has led some companies to postpone or scale back planned investments