Confidence among the Dutch in national politics in The Hague fell last year to its lowest level since 2012, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The findings come from the Social Cohesion and Well-being survey, which has been conducted annually since that year.
In 2025, one in five people aged 15 and over said they had confidence in politicians. A quarter reported confidence in the House of Representatives. The survey was completed by around 7,600 respondents.
Trust in politicians rose steadily until 2020, when it reached nearly 40 per cent. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, confidence declined each year, except in 2024. A similar pattern appears for the House of Representatives. In 2020, more than half of the population viewed the lower house positively. Trust then fell over the following five years.
Despite this decline, CBS says that trust in politicians and parliament in the Netherlands remains relatively high compared with other European countries.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 show the highest level of trust in political institutions. By contrast, those aged 65 to 75 show the lowest levels. Tanja Traag, chief sociologist at CBS, links these differences to political experience. “Young people generally have little political experience, so they struggle to form an opinion,” she says. “Older people, on the other hand, have experienced more political setbacks, which can negatively influence their views.”
Municipal Council
The Dutch are generally more positive about civil servants and the European Union. Around half of the population expresses confidence in these institutions. Trust in the municipal council has also increased every year since the first measurement in 2022, reaching almost 55 per cent in 2025. According to Traag, local administrators are often better known to residents and focus on issues that directly affect their area.
Regional differences are also clear. Trust is lowest in the north-east of the country, where around one third of residents had confidence in political institutions on average between 2016 and 2025. In the Randstad, about 45 per cent of people rate politics positively.
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