Social science

Civics in Dutch society

Meneer de Weerd

14-09-2022

Irma van Veenschoten, Thirze Kouwenhoven, Lydia Breen

In the history of our country, there have been a lot of different groups or folks. Even before the
Netherlands was independent there have been regions on this land. Sometimes they hated each
other, sometimes they worked together and shared their information or way of living. But is that
nowadays the same case? That’s why the research question for this essay is as follows: how is the
natural cohesion related to patterns of regional and local identities, and to what extent there is
tension between these two?

Phase I

Before research is done, there must be defined the following words. Civics: ‘the study of how a local
government works and of the rights and duties of the people who live in the city. Identity: ‘the fact of
being, or feeling that you are, a particular type of person, organization, etc.; the qualities that make a
person, organization, etc. different from others.’

Veluwe

The Veluwe is a region in the province of Gelderland. Here the people are mostly located on the right
wing, they are conservative. This means that they value traditions and religion. That’s why most
people in the Veluwe are protestant. Most of them voted for Christian parties like SGP, CDA, or CU. If
they’re not religious, the entrant BBB is also a favorite among the Veluwenaren. Unlike the Randstad,
on the Veluwe the difference between people with low incomes and high incomes is small. Because
of Park de Hoge Veluwe, there can be found lots of tourism. The local people here are mostly
farmers. In terms of education are veluwenaren on the average scale.

Friesland

Friesland, or better said Fryslân is a province located in the north of the Netherlands. Friezen are
usually viewed as stubborn and steadfast in their ideas. That’s why they, like the Veluwe, can be
found on the right wing. The most voted parties in the election of 2021 were in this area VVD and
CDA. Friezen are very proud of their region, that’s why they have their language and certain regional
sports, like Fierljeppen. Friesland is also very known for the Elfstedentocht. The most active religion is
the Protestant church. With the level of education, they are average.

The Dutch Islands

The citizens of the Dutch Islands (Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog) are not
connected to the rest of our national country physically. The ‘Waddenzee’ separates the Islands from
the mainland. The question is, did the water also separate them from the Dutch national cohesion?
Have they created their own identities as citizens of the Islands, or are they living the life of an
average Dutch mainland citizen?

1
When looking at the political preferences on the Dutch Islands, there can’t be found anything quite
remarkable. At the last national elections, the VVD got the highest percentage of votes in four of the
five Islands, followed by D66. On a national scale, the VVD and D66 came out as the 2 biggest parties,
so the outcome of the regional political preferences matched the outcomes of the whole country.
However, in the municipal elections, local parties scored a lot higher than national parties. When
looking at data comparing all the different municipalities in the Netherlands the Islands are center-
based in their political preferences. (Weetmeer)

Half of the population of the Dutch Islands has an average education level. Their income is above
average. When it comes to religious beliefs, there are several churches to be found on every island,
however, religion doesn’t play a big role in its society.

Brabant

In the region of Brabant, a lot of citizens are still religious. 48% of the inhabitants are roman catholic,
which is remarkable when you look at the fact that, besides Limburg, the other provinces are mostly
protestant. So, religion still plays a role in a big part of the identity of the people.

At the last national elections, the VVD had the highest number of votes, followed by D66, PVV, and
CDA. At the municipal elections, local parties got the vast majority of votes. The region is quite
progressive and center-based.

Brabant is one of the richest provinces in The Netherlands. However, there are quite some
differences throughout the region. There are a few small villages or cities, which are very wealthy,
but in the bigger cities, the people just have an average income.

Het Gooi

Het Gooi is an area that is located southeast of North Holland, located on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
Hilversum, the largest city in this area, has more than 90,000 inhabitants and is known as the media
city. Here D66 is the largest party, with one vote more than the VVD. In Blaricum, the Heart of
Blaricum is far at the top, with twice as many votes as the party below. People used to be very right-
wing, but nowadays it has shifted to the liberal left. In the throw, the average annual income is
38,000 euros in the municipality of Gooise Meren. This is an average of 37,500 euros in the
Netherlands. In Blaricum, the average home value is 687,000 euros. Average annual income varies
widely. In the richest neighborhood, Crailo, the average income is 72,600 euros, almost double the
Netherlands’ income. The inhabitants of Het gooi are usually Christian or atheist.

The Randstad

With the Randstad, we mean the 4 major cities of Amsterdam. Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht,
and their surroundings. The Randstad has the highest density in the Netherlands. In 2020 it had 8.36
million inhabitants. Because the region has about half of all inhabitants of our country, many
different religions are practiced and there are different world views, because of migrants. The
income in Randstad is higher than the average gross annual income in the Netherlands. But the
difference here is also very big between rich and poor. Nowhere in the Netherlands is this difference
greater. The Randstad is often seen as the political opponent by people in other regions because they
are often more left-wing and progressive than in 'the countryside. In Amsterdam, PvdA had the most
votes in the municipal elections. In Utrecht, it was Groenlinks. The Hague and Rotterdam had the

2
most votes for a local party. The second chamber election was D66 in Amsterdam, just like in
Rotterdam and Utrecht. In The Hague, this was still VVD.

Phase II

After a short introduction to various regions in Dutch society, it is time to focus more closely on one
region only. The exploration zooms in on Brabant and more specifically on Den Bosch. The parties
who got the most votes in the selections of 2021 in Den Bosch are VVD, D66, and PVV. VVD is on the
right wing so based on this information we can conclude that most of Den Bosch value tradition and
are conservative. Their norms are that social control and orders are normal and that they should be
regulated. They believe that everyone is equal, so it doesn’t matter which gender or color a person is.
Den Bosch has some different interests from other provinces or regions. They have traditions like
Carnaval that they have been celebrating for centuries.

Den Bosch wants equality, freedom of religion, the guarantee that personal things stay private, and
more protection for people that are more likely to be discriminated against like Jews, people of color,
or people that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They also value healthcare, education, freedom of
speech, the right to have rights, to feel safe, and to be protected by those whose job is to serve our
country and give money to those in need. There are always people, regions, or parties who think
differently. Even parties that are too conservative have other ideas than VVD, like parties based on
religion. There are even parties who discriminate. People on the Veluwe have different norms than
people in Brabant.

Who holds the power in Den Bosch? Formal power, power often tied to a formal position where the
responsibilities of that position, are held by the local council. The local council changes every 4 years
when there is an election. the largest party is D66, a left-wing party, followed by the VVD. Informal
power is at odds with formal power, where formal power involves status, informal power has never
been given that power, for example by voting for a person, but you have just as much power, without
that approval. Den Bosch doesn't know many impressionable people who have not been given the
position for this.

The inhabitants of Den Bosch have an average income of 31,107 euros, which is therefore below the
average income of the Netherlands. There are also 'only' 3 people from Den Bosch in the quote 500.
The distribution between low, average, and highly educated people is equal, but 37 percent are
highly educated and therefore the largest group. People are not very involved in politics, almost 60%
do not vote, and they have the best bond with each other.

Data from research done by the municipality of Den Bosch gives a clear view of social cohesion in the
city. At first, inhabitants are asked to say what they like the most about their living environment.
Their answers are contacted by neighbors and a good environment in the city. The engagement of
people in their neighborhoods is also high, 80% of the people feel responsible for their
neighborhood. However, the overall score for social cohesion given by the inhabitants is only 6.

When we compare the feeling of social cohesion with the feeling about the government there is a
remarkable difference. Only 36% of the inhabitants of the city have confidence in our national
government, but 73% believe that they can manage things within their neighborhoods, and 84%
think that they can call on their residents. So, self-reliance is high, and help from the government
isn’t needed.

3
Phase III

There were several barriers to answering the question during our research. First, it was not clear how
we should approach the process, and now that this is ready, we also notice that we have different
analyses, even though all three of us have focused on den Bosch. This says a lot about the diversity
that exists between people, both those who live there and we, who have looked at the inhabitants of
den Bosch from our perspective.

How is the natural cohesion related to patterns of regional and local identities, and to what extent
there is tension between these two? After we zoomed in on different regions and focused on the city
of Den Bosch, we concluded that the cohesion in the Netherlands does not so much come from
different regional and local patterns. People respect each other and because of our freedom of
expression we value each other and the traditions. There is certainly solidarity on a local and regional
scale, which is because people have had a similar upbringing and they know each other well.

This research could certainly be continued by asking a much more specific question, for example
really looking at a region in relation to the national convergence. In addition, it would be interesting
to do this in your vicinity, because then you know more about the traditions and locality of the
people around you.

Sources

Weetmeer

Gemeente Texel in cijfers en grafieken (update 2022!) | AlleCijfers.nl

Religieuze betrokkenheid; kerkelijke gezindte; regio; 2010-2015 (cbs.nl)

Themakaart-Sociale-leefomgeving-Brabant-GM-2020.pdf (ggdbzo.nl)

Sociale kijk op de wijk Binnenstad (s-hertogenbosch.nl)

5923f1036289f.pdf (brabantkennis.nl)

https://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/GR20220316

https://stukroodvlees.nl/randstad-versus-regio-en-stad-versus-platteland/

https://allecijfers.nl/woonplaats/den-bosch/

https://indebuurt.nl/denbosch/bosschenaren/lokaal-tintje-in-quote-500-deze-bedrijven-in-
gids~125123/4/