The Netherlands is less hospitable to refugees: opinion poll
Wednesday 20 June 2012
The Dutch themselves think they have become less welcoming to refugees thanks to the influence of the outgoing government, according to a new opinion poll by Maurice de Hond for refugee organisation VluchtelingenWerk.
The minority government formed by the Christian Democrats and right-wing Liberal VVD was supported by Geert Wilders' anti-immigration PVV but the alliance collapsed earlier this year.
The poll of 1,500 people found 57% think the Netherlands is now less hospitable to asylum seekers than it was before the alliance came to power. But while 69% of CDA supporters think this is the case, 62% of VVD and 78% of PVV supporters do not agree.
The poll also asked participants if they would flee to the Netherlands as a refugee from Africa or the Middle East. While 42% said they would, 41% said they would avoid Holland.
'This shows that the Dutch public are aware something is going wrong,' VluchtelingenWerk spokeswoman Dorine Manson told the Volkskrant.
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