There is broad support among Dutch voters for raising defence spending to meet Nato’s new benchmark, but that support drops sharply if it comes at the expense of domestic investment, according to a survey by research agency Ipsos I&O ahead of this week’s Nato summit in The Hague.

Some 42% of respondents back the idea that the Netherlands should spend 5% of its GDP on defence, a target expected to be confirmed at the summit, and only 19% are opposed.

But when voters were told that this could mean less money for issues like housing, healthcare or dealing with asylum, support fell to 31% and opposition rose to 33%.

Ipsos I&O researcher Maartje van de Koppel told the NRC voters from across the political spectrum back higher spending in principle, but support becomes “more diffuse” when trade-offs are involved.

Defence is likely to feature far more prominently in the upcoming election campaign than in 2023, when only 5% of voters cited it as a key issue. That figure has now risen to nearly 20%, a shift driven by escalating global conflict, Van de Koppel said.

Top of the list is housing (47%), migration 35%) and health (26%), with climate change completing the five biggest issues with 18%.

The right-wing VVD is currently seen by voters as the party best placed to handle defence and international security.

Party leader Dilan Yesilgöz scores highest on this issue, with 27% of voters expressing confidence in her leadership, followed by CDA leader Henri Bontenbal (22%) and GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans (20%).

Respondents were also asked who they considered to be the Netherlands’ main allies. Top of the list was Germany (77%), followed by France (70%) and the UK (60%)

Ukraine was considered a key ally by 30% of respondents, while the US scored 23% and Israel just 12%.