“Significant minority” feel disadvantaged in Dutch society – SCP

A “significant minority” of people in the Netherlands believe other groups in society gain an unfair advantage at their expense, according to a survey for the Dutch government’s social research agency SCP.

Around 30% of people say they feel disadvantaged in the housing market, while 28% believe their views are not properly represented in politics. A smaller group of around 7% thought the justice system was biased against them.

The report found that people with minority ethnic backgrounds and white Dutch people with non-academic qualifications were most likely to feel they were being treated unfairly.

“Dutch people who feel they have drawn the short straw are often in a less favourable position in the housing or labour market,” the report’s authors said.

“They are also more likely to be dealing with other disadvantages such as a lower income, a smaller network or poorer health.”

The SCP tracks people’s perceptions of whether they are fairly treated on issues such as housing, justice and observation of traditions on a monthly basis, using focus groups and surveys.

Traditions

The agency said there was evidence that both people with recent migrant backgrounds and white Dutch people were disadvantaged, but both tended to perceive that the other group was better off.

Native Dutch people felt that traditions such as Sinterklaas were being diluted in favour of festivals such as Eid al-Fitr, while recent migrants said there was almost no recognition of their traditions outside a few major population centres.

The lack of trust in institutions also influenced people’s voting behaviour, with those who felt disadvantaged more likely to support far-right parties such as the PVV and FVD.

The report said the majority of people did not feel disadvantaged, while around one in five people perceived themselves to be privileged over others. They were more likely to be university educated and vote for progressive parties such as D66 and Pro.

“In contrast to many graduates, people with vocational educations are more likely to see society as a place where groups compete with each other for scarce resources, attention and recognition,” the report said.

“Moreover, they are more likely to feel that their own group systematically gets more than other groups and place the responsibility for this mainly with the political system and the government.”