International workers in the Netherlands are largely positive about the Dutch government’s handling of the pandemic, but have a lot of questions about testing and the use of face masks, according to the results of the DutchNews.nl survey.

In all, over 3,300 people from all over the country took part in the online poll. Here is what you told us:

Some seven out of 10 of you are confident in the Dutch government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, with 56% giving the cabinet a confidence rating of at least seven out of 10. By contrast, just 7% readers had no, or very little, faith in the job the cabinet is doing.

This contrasts with the fact that 75% of you thought the governments in your home country are taking a stricter line than the Dutch, with 11% saying the Dutch are stricter and 10% thinking both countries are about the same.

In terms of the impact on your jobs and finances, 45% of you said you were worried or very worried about the impact of coronavirus on your income, while 14% of you were not at all worried.

But if your job is insecure, the impact on your finances is considerable, and 25% of you whose income has been affected, have lost at least 75%.

Almost one third of you said you were only mildly worried about the impact of coronavirus on your health, but some 68% of you said you were worried or very worried about the folks back home.

Just a few percent of the respondents had been tested for coronavirus and a handful of you said you or a family member in the Netherlands had been found positive. Some 8% of you said one or more of you had been showing symptoms but were not tested

The government’s plans to launch an app which would enable the spread of the disease to be tracked via mobile phones can count on the support of nearly 54% of you, while just over 11% said they would not accept an app under any circumstances.

We also asked you what you would do if you were in the government’s shoes – and 73% of you said you would make the wearing of masks in shops and on public transport compulsory, with 45% of you in favour of making masks compulsory at all times outdoors.

At the same time, 76% of you said you would not lift the ban on organised events, and 60% of you said cafes and restaurants should remain closed.

And while nearly 18% of you said you would open the borders to non-essential travel, 39% said this was something they would not do.

And how have you changed your own personal behaviour? You are definitely following the hygiene rules more closely than in our first survey, and far more of you are working from home and avoiding busy places. You are also taking advantage of the lockdown to clean out cupboards (59%) and develop your cooking skills (60%).

You are also becoming more community-minded. Some 55% of you have supported a favourite restaurant by buying a takeaway meal. Over three in 10 have checked up on a neighbour, 23% have donated to a charity helping people, almost one in five of you have started talking to neighbours you have never talked to before and 17% of you are learning Dutch. Almost 20% of you have visited a virtual museum or concert and 50% have sat down and read a book.

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We will be publishing a second article, based on your personal experiences, later on Wednesday.

Thanks to all our readers who took part in our survey. If you would like more information about the results, please contact editor@dutchnews.nl