People living in the southern province of Limburg are less likely to maintain contact with their neighbours and have little confidence in their fellow man or the police, according to new research by the national statistics office CBS.

The research is based on an analysis of social shifts in the province between 1997 and 2009. The closure of village shops, a low-skilled population and the declining influence of the Catholic church are behind the breakdown of society, the CBS said.
‘Limburg is famous for its Carnival revellers but that image is outdated,’ said professor Hans Schmeets in the Volkskrant. For example, six of the 25 local authority areas where voluntary work is unpopular are in the south, he said.
The greying of the population and government emphasis on urban rather than rural renewal have also played a part, the researchers said.