Housing, healthcare and immigration top list of voter concerns

Almost two-thirds of respondents said they want the housing market to take centre stage during the campaign and the figure was even higher among younger voters who have been struggling to find a home, RTL said.

Although the election is still three months away, parties have already begun outlining their campaign plans and several, including the VVD, have already focused on housing.

Older voters, meanwhile, are more concerned with healthcare, which is the second issue for the electorate in general.

Asylum and migration are third on the list, especially among right-wing voters. Half of all voters see it as an important campaign issue, rising to 93% among those currently backing the far right PVV.

The topic led to the collapse of the last two governments and is expected to return to the spotlight as the outgoing government’s controversial asylum legislation is scheduled for debate in the senate the weeks before the election.

Defence has also risen sharply on the public agenda. Just 14% of voters prioritised it in 2023, but following last month’s Nato summit in The Hague—where leaders agreed to raise the defence budget to 5% of GDP—36% now regard it as a key theme.

By contrast, poverty has become less of a focus. During the 2023 campaign, financial security was a key issue for 54% of voters but that has now fallen to 32%, RTL said.

Some 21,000 people took part in the online survey.