Summary - Flight with little baggage

Original title: Gevlucht met weinig bagage

Somalia has been tormented for decades by armed conflicts and political unrest. This, combined with bouts of famine and periods of drought, has to date prompted more than a million Somalis to flee the country. A small proportion of these refugees have ended up in the Netherlands and been granted asylum; currently, there are around 40,000 Dutch citizens of Somali origin living in the Netherlands.

This report focuses mainly on describing the life situation of this first generation of Dutch Somalis. A distinction is drawn among other things based on how long they have lived in the Netherlands and the age at which they came to this country. We look at the extent to which these groups participate in Dutch society and what resources they have to foster this participation, including factors such as education and command of the Dutch language as well as social contacts and affinity with the Netherlands.

Finally, we compare the position of Dutch Somalis in 2015 with 2009: has their affinity with the Netherlands changed, do they have access to more or fewer resources, and what does this mean for their position in the Netherlands?