Dutch lack trust in new coalition, survey shows

There is a general lack of trust in the new Dutch coalition, even among voters of the parties currently in government, a survey conducted by the research company I&O Research shows.

The new Dutch coalition, consisting of the same four parties as in the previous one, was officially sworn in during a ceremony held by King Alexander on 10 January.

A coalition agreement was presented in December, after nine months of negotiation – the longest in Dutch history. One of the new cabinet’s main goals is to effectively tackle the climate crisis, focusing on nuclear energy to “lay the foundation for the next generation”, as a significant part of the population lives below sea level.

Although the four parties involved were supported by roughly 50% of the population at the last election, a survey conducted by I&O Research shows that less than half trust the new government. Responders were particularly concerned with the new cabinet’s ability to tackle the housing and climate crisis.

Of the 2,787 surveyed, 40% said they did not have much trust in the new cabinet, while 25% said they did not trust it at all. Those who voted for PM Mark Rutte’s VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy) were the only ones in the majority (59%) who said they either have some or a lot of trust in the new government.

According to the survey, 94% of the unvaccinated, 75% of the unemployed, and 74% of those with a migratory background had little to no trust in the new government.

This survey comes at a critical time for the Dutch government. In December, the government implemented a hard lockdown, which sparked protests all over the country. Among the issues respondents believed the government would successfully tackle, the COVID-19 crisis was first with 39%.

Having started his fourth term as prime minister, Rutte is off to a tough start as the recently implemented lockdown initially only had a small impact on cases, which bounced back to record numbers recently.

Rutte is the EU’s second-longest-serving head of government, behind Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán.

(Thomas Lehnen | EURACTIV.com)