Public trust in Dutch politics fell to a new low last year, according to statistics agency CBS, which recorded the lowest levels of confidence since records began in 2012.
In a survey of over 7,500 people, the agency found that just 21% of adults in the Netherlands said they trusted politicians, and trust in parliament had fallen to 25%.
Voters continue to have more faith in the EU than in their own parliament and representatives, with 51% of respondents reporting confidence in Brussels.
Trust in civil servants stood at 47% and in local councils at 54%. These figures were roughly the same in 2024, but have risen since 2022, CBS noted.
Covid impact
Trust in politicians and national political institutions was highest in 2020 – the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. The figures have fallen almost every year since.
In May 2024, confidence in the parliament’s lower house had dropped below 30% for the first time on CBS’s measure.
Trust briefly recovered in autumn 2024 after the right-wing Schoof cabinet took office, but had fallen back to earlier lows by September 2025, according to a separate Ipsos I&O survey for broadcaster NOS.
Regional differences
Trust in politics was lowest in the northeast of the country, CBS said, and varies sharply by age. People under 25 are the most likely to trust political institutions; those aged between 65 and 75 the least.
The new CBS figures cover the whole of 2025, a year in which the Schoof cabinet collapsed and an early election in October brought D66 leader Rob Jetten to office.
The results come from CBS’ annual Social Cohesion and Well-Being survey. A more detailed analysis is set out in a longread, Vertrouwen in de politiek, 2016–2025, published alongside the figures.
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