The Dutch are generally happy with their lives but are becoming less likely to trust other people, according to new research by the government’s socio-cultural think tank the SCP.
In the three years since the last survey, the number of people saying most people are to be trusted has fallen from 69% to 61%, the SCP said. The research, not yet published but seen by the NRC, will be used by the government when drawing up its spring financial statement.
The downturn is not a new development, senior researcher Roel Willems told the paper, but the divide along educational lines is. Just 47% of people with little or no academic post-school education say most people are to be trusted, compared with 73% of those with a degree.
The difference is also reflected in income, with 50% of low-income people showing a high level of trust in others, compared with 68% of high earners.
The gap, Willems said, is down to a number of factors. “These people often live in poorer neighbourhoods and are less positive about life in general,” he said. “That also contributes to being less trusting.” More than half of those questioned with a low income felt connected to where they lived, compared with almost two-thirds of higher earners.
The Netherlands scores well compared with other European countries, coming behind Norway, Iceland and Finland in terms of trusting others. The Dutch are also more likely than most others to say they are happy with their lives. Some 87% give their lives a score of at least seven out of 10, in line with Switzerland.
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