The Netherlands in a European Perspective

Original title: Nederland in Europees perspectief 

Europeans are having to engage with each other more and more, as a number of developments in 2015 have yet again made clear. The economic crisis, the solidarity between countries and attitudes towards migrants and asylum-seekers touch on the very heart of European integration and unity. How far are citizens and countries in Europe willing to help each other and show solidarity? Or, expressed in broader terms: to what extent do people across Europe share similar opinions, norms and values?

In this publication we look at shared and unshared opinions, attitudes, norms and values in Europe. We compare the mood in the Netherlands with the mood in other European countries. To do this, we draw on data from the European Social Survey, a large-scale study that is held every two years and that focuses on people’s opinions and values. A total of 36 countries have taken part at least once, and 16 countries have participated in all six rounds held between 2002 and 2013 inclusive.

We broadly gauge the mood in Europe and look among other things at views on democracy, trust in other people and life satisfaction. We look in more depth at this latter aspect, as well as at opinions about migrants, political trust and the views of men and women on the division of work and household tasks. We describe how sentiment in Europe developed between 2002 and 2013 and how the views and opinions of the Dutch resemble or diverge  from those of other Europeans.