Two-thirds (68%) of Dutch people want the EU to do more to limit immigration. Only 17% of the Dutch consider the European Union’s immigration policy to be successful and correct. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the company Ipsos I&O on the eve of the elections to the European Parliament.
According to the voters, the main issue that needs to be solved at the EU level is the restriction of the arrival of asylum seekers from safe countries. 68% of Dutch people want the EU to do more to limit this type of migration. Another 46% of respondents are in favor of limiting immigration under family reunification programs.
Only one in five believe that immigration brings more to the Dutch economy than it costs, and almost a third believe that the Netherlands receives less from foreigners than it allocates to them. In particular, a third of the country’s residents advocate not only a reduction in the influx of refugees, but also a reduction in the number of labor migrants.
About 34% of those polled want a reduction in the number of people coming to the Netherlands to work in low-skilled jobs. 32% of the country’s residents want a reduction in the number of foreign students in universities and 26% of respondents spoke in favor of a reduction in the number of visas issued to highly qualified migrants.
It should be noted that the Netherlands, like most developed countries, has demographic problems related to the aging of the population. Due to the decrease in the birth rate and increase in life expectancy, there are more and more elderly people in the population structure and fewer able-bodied citizens. The development of the economy requires more labor resources. The simplest step, which helps not to stop the development of the economy, is the attraction of workers from other countries. Therefore, the desire of a third of the population of the Netherlands to reduce the number of migrant workers looks extremely illogical.
The Ipsos I&O survey concerned not only refugees from Ukraine, but also all migrants in the Netherlands – Syrians who arrived as a result of the 2015-2016 migration crisis, people from the Middle East, Africa, etc.
We will remind you of the results of a survey conducted to order International Rescue Committee (IRC) show that the majority of the population of EU countries believe that support for refugees from Ukraine should not be stopped. For example, 79% of British respondents and 72% of Swedes expressed long-term support for Ukrainian migrants.
