A majority of the Dutch do not object to refugees being housed in their own towns or villages as long as the new arrivals ‘adapt to the Dutch way of living’, according to research published on website Nu.nl.

The research was carried out by Necker van Naem, a research bureau which focuses on local government issues. The results are based on two panel surveys taken in October 2015 and February this year and involving several thousand locals and politicians.

In October, 70% supported providing accommodation to refugees within their local authority area and this rose to 73% in February, the research showed.

Asked what their main preconditions were, 40% said the refugees should adapt to the Dutch way of life and 25% that refugees should be given psychological counselling. Some 17% said that public safety should be guaranteed and 14% that waiting lists for housing for locals should not be longer.

There is a currently a serious shortage of housing for refugees with residency permits, particularly families.