Poll: 83% of Dutch oppose slavery reparations

Eighty-three percent of surveyed Dutch said the Netherlands should not pay reparations from the country’s slavery past. The RTL panel results come two days after Prime Minister Rob Jetten similarly said in his weekly press conference that there will be no reparations as a result of the study into the colonial role played by the House of Orange-Nassau.

Among the voters for the PVV, VVD, JA21, BBB, and FvD, virtually everyone, 99 percent, opposes reparations. Opposition is also at 71 percent among D66 voters and 50 percent among GroenLinks-PvdA supporters.

“If you ask Dutch people whether our country should pay reparations for its slavery past, the result is very clear: we do not want that,” said RTL’s pollster. Only 8 percent are in favor, he said. “A large majority are against. Opposition is strongest among right-wing voters, but I also see considerable resistance among supporters of left-wing parties.”

A minority of those surveyed, 38 percent, say there is too much attention to the colonial past. Most, however, say the current level of focus is about right or could be higher.

Twenty-four percent, nearly a quarter, of younger people say there is too little attention on the topic. For those aged 65 and older, the number is at 6 percent. According to the panel, on the contrary, older generations are more likely to say that the slavery past is getting too much attention.