Trust in politics falling, more people joining protests: CBS

Trust in politics among people in their twenties and thirties in the Netherlands has fallen sharply, according to new figures by national statistics bureau CBS, and more people of all age groups are joining political protests and demonstrations.

Among 25 to 35-year-olds those that said they had trust dropped from 50.6% to 42.4%, the steepest fall of any group. Some 55% of 18 to 25-year-olds said they had confidence in politics last year, up from 49% in 2023, making them the only age group whose trust increased.

Teenagers aged 15 to 18 remain the most trusting, at 62%, while the least trusting are 65 to 75-year-olds, at 31%. The figures come from the CBS survey on social cohesion and wellbeing, which polls people aged 15 and over every year.

Participation in protests and demonstrations rose in every age group in 2025, with 25 to 35-year-olds the most active: 9.5% said they had taken part in a protest or demonstration in the past five years, compared with 8.6% of 18 to 25-year-olds and 2.4% of the over-75s.

Students and people with a university or college degree were the most likely to have demonstrated, the CBS said.

Older people may be less trusting, but they are much more interested in politics. Some 64% of 65 to 75-year-olds said they were fairly or very interested, compared with 37% of 15 to 18-year-olds, although interest among teenagers and young adults has risen for two years in a row.

The survey was carried out during 2025, a year in which the Schoof cabinet collapsed and a general election was held in October.

Trust in politics peaked across all age groups in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, when 78% of teenagers and 71% of 18 to 25-year-olds said they had confidence in politicians. It has since fallen back to roughly where it was a decade ago.