Dutch want a strong leader, but are not protest voters: survey

The typical Dutchman or woman casts his or her vote more out of conviction than in protest, opting for a strong leader who plays within the rules, the Volkskrant said on Monday.

The paper bases its claim on a large survey of voters registered in the Netherlands, Britain, France and Germany by Kanter Public, formerly known as TNS/Nipo. All were asked the same set of questions. The results: Germany is the least susceptible to populist movements, France and Britain the most. The Netherlands sits somewhere in between, the paper said.

The British and the French are seeking a strong leader, even more so than the Dutch, but they have the least confidence in democracy, elections and political parties.

The German stance is the opposite with Germans placing more trust in democratic institutions, trade unions and the European Union than individual people, the survey revealed. Some 67% of Dutch respondents said the country needs a strong leader to get things done, compared with just 24% of Germans.

The researchers asked why people vote: because they agree with the ideas of a certain political party or out of frustration with the other parties? The Kantar report said 15% of the Dutch voted out of frustration and 21% did so in Britain. Figures were higher in France (37%) and Germany (41%).

A minority (28% in the Netherlands, Britain and France) believe politicians are honest. But this figure was higher at 37% in Germany.