In the last quarter of 2022, only 25% of over 15s in the Netherlands still trusted the House of Representatives. This is evident from data from Statistics Netherlands. This is the lowest percentage since 2012, meaning more than three-quarters of the population lacks confidence. However, that’s no reason to panic, according to strategy analyst Linde Arentze of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies.
Especially since, according to her, there is never a majority that has faith in politics. “There will always be a certain degree of distrust,” she says. She thinks that’s a good thing, because it’s important for the democratic functioning of the Dutch constitutional state. “That people remain critical and continue to feel called to go to the polls.”
According to Arentze, however, what has become clear in recent years is that trust is indeed steadily declining. A good example of this, according to Arentze, are the 2021 election results. “Normally there is always a drop in confidence during an election, after which the confidence rises again,” she explains. “But it hasn’t happened now either.”
Crown
On the other hand, confidence has again peaked at the time of the coronavirus crisis, which according to Arentze can be attributed to the so-called ‘Rally ’round the flag’ mechanism: when a group of people is faced with a major crisis , rallying behind their leader en masse. “But, as is typical of that mechanism, we will see it normalize again in 2021.”
But while data from Statistics Netherlands showed that citizens trust government less and less, the same data showed that citizens trust each other more. And that’s a good thing, thinks Arentze. “Trust in the rule of law is obviously not just about vertical trust,” she continues. “Also because of the trust that people have in each other.”
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
