Summary - Villages doing democracy

Original title: De dorpse doe-democratie

Taking action to secure a safe cycle path or against the expansion of an industrial zone; an initiative in which residents take action together to save their swimming pool or to improve village life for older members of the community; organising a village event or negotiating with the local authority on a new canteen for the village football club... These are all ways in which village residents actively engage to improve liveability and influence what happens in their village. As the government hands more and more responsibility to citizens, liveability is becoming increasingly dependent on the efforts of local residents. While active residents play a leading role here, less engaged residents are often left out of the picture. Yet it is also relevant to know how they view this ‘active democracy’.

In this report we classify village residents based on their attachment to the village in which they live. For some residents, their lives are centred in the village, while others combine village life with a busy life outside. Still others have little involvement in village life, but are strongly attached to the surrounding landscape. We divided village residents into seven distinct groups and then investigated how they view their village. How do they rate the liveability of their village? What do they consider to be important for liveability? Which are the organisations for which they are willing to act? And how do they view the initiatives of fellow residents, the village council and the local authority?

This study draws on data from the 2014 edition of ‘Socially Vital Countryside’ (Sociaal Vitaal Platteland 2014), which surveyed more than 7,700 residents of Dutch villages. It forms part of the ‘Social State of the Countryside’ (De Sociale Staat van het Platteland) project. Earlier reports published as part of this project include ‘The village monitor’ (2013), ‘Changing meaning of neighbourhoods and villages' (2015) and ‘Small gestures’ (2016).