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Declining Social Cohesion in The Netherlands?

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  • Hans Schmeets
  • Saskia te Riele

Abstract

In the Netherlands, topics related to social cohesion, such as various aspects of participation and trust, are prominently on the political agenda. The bottom line is a widespread feeling that social cohesion in Dutch society is eroding, which is also reflected in a perception of a change from a high trust into a low trust society. Based on large-scale surveys (e.g. Labour Force Surveys, Permanent Survey on Living Conditions, Dutch Parliamentary Election Studies, and European Social Survey) and (population) registers, we investigate the development of: (a) Social contacts, informal help and volunteering; (b) Political participation (turnout and participation in political actions); (c) Social, institutional and political trust. Overall, we found no empirical evidence for a decline in participation and trust levels. However, there are large gaps between prevailing groups in Dutch society, in particular between lower and higher educated, natives and ethnic minorities, and various religious groups. Such gaps are rather stable for participation (since 1997) and trust (since 2002). Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Hans Schmeets & Saskia te Riele, 2014. "Declining Social Cohesion in The Netherlands?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 791-812, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:115:y:2014:i:2:p:791-812
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-013-0234-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Moniek Coumans & Hans Schmeets, 2015. "The Socially Excluded in the Netherlands: The Development of an Overall Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 779-805, July.
    2. Bujar Aruqaj, 2023. "An Integrated Approach to the Conceptualisation and Measurement of Social Cohesion," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 227-263, August.
    3. Abdoulaye Diop & Yaojun Li & Majed Mohammmed H. A. Al-Ansari & Kien T. Le, 2017. "Social Capital and Citizens’ Attitudes towards Migrant Workers," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(1), pages 66-79.
    4. Jesper Rözer & Gerald Mollenhorst & Anne-Rigt Poortman, 2016. "Family and Friends: Which Types of Personal Relationships Go Together in a Network?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 809-826, June.
    5. David Schiefer & Jolanda Noll, 2017. "The Essentials of Social Cohesion: A Literature Review," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 579-603, June.
    6. Hans Schmeets & Floris Peters, 2021. "The Impact of Social Capital on Organ Donation: Evidence from the Netherlands," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 863-897, October.
    7. A. M. Coumans & M. Cruyff & P. G. M. Heijden & J. Wolf & H. Schmeets, 2017. "Estimating Homelessness in the Netherlands Using a Capture-Recapture Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 189-212, January.
    8. Cinzia Castiglioni & Edoardo Lozza & Andrea Bonanomi, 2019. "The Common Good Provision Scale (CGP): A Tool for Assessing People’s Orientation towards Economic and Social Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-14, January.

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