Studies, reports and news items demonstrate this support on a daily basis. Scientists, businesses, religious leaders and the Advisory Council on International Affairs also call for more to be done for the world’s poorest countries and regions and for more cooperation on global issues (such as inequality, poverty, climate change, forced migration, the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.). A good reason, therefore, is to keep development cooperation high on the political and social agenda.
This is why Partos has collected studies and reports that show a positive outlook on development cooperation. Not only about the organisations working in the sector but also results that show the strength of the supporters of 4 million donors, volunteers, project leaders and staff. Development cooperation is a result of joining forces, and we can be proud of that. And the figures, they show it!
Annually, Partos will compile and share results and surveys on development cooperation. Below are the Spring 2021 results collected ahead of the Lower House elections.
Below is a brief overview of recent (support) surveys among Dutch people on topics such as development cooperation and globalisation.
London School of Economics: Has Covid-19 turned the Dutch into critics of globalisation? (27 January 2021)
- The majority of the Dutch have confidence in international cooperation.
- A small majority believes the corona-crisis shows that globalisation has gone too far.
Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau: Dealing with the Big World. Globalisation in public opinion and at work (21 December 2020)
- The Dutch are more positive about globalisation than media and politics sometimes make us think.
- Corona has not caused a more negative attitude towards globalisation.
- 92% of Dutch people think it is important to help developing countries (higher than EU average)
I&O Research: Voters now more left-wing and less conservative than in 2010 (9 January 2021)
- As recently as 2010, 57% thought development cooperation should be cut (which happened in the first Rutte cabinet). Meanwhile, 34 per cent still think it should be cut.
- In 2010, the oyster ‘seemed to be closing’, while the Dutch now look at the rest of the world with a more open mind.
Land of Helpers: A manifesto/initiative by Cordaid and Oxfam committed to a structural increase in the aid budget.
- Survey of VVD and CDA voters; 71% say the Netherlands is a country of helpers and should look after other countries.
- 78% of VVD and CDA voters think it is necessary for the Dutch government to provide additional resources to combat the corona crisis worldwide.
Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau: Citizens’ Perspectives 2020 – Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Quarter 4
- The policy areas on which most people want to spend less money are also similar to before the corona crisis: these are mainly military missions, development cooperation and arts and culture. In the latter policy area, however, it is notable that support for cuts has declined since the corona crisis. To a lesser extent, the same applies to development cooperation.
Cordaid opinion survey development cooperation and migration (February 2021)
- Survey of 1001 respondents; 50% of respondents say the Netherlands should increase its development cooperation budget to 0.7% GNI or even more.
64% of respondents consider development cooperation somewhat or very important. In the youth group, this is even 71%.
Cordaid opinion survey international health (February 2021)
- Over two-thirds; 68%, of the Netherlands believe we will not be safe until the pandemic is defeated in every country.
- 65% of respondents therefore think it is important to help countries that lack the resources to defeat the virus on their own.
- 71% of Dutch people believe that covid-19 vaccines should be distributed equally and fairly among all countries of the world.
- Almost half of respondents, 48%, think that debt should be frozen for poorer countries to help countries recover from the economic impact.
Further…
Medical, emergency and development organisations are noticing that donors are giving more and more spontaneously. Read more about it in the Nederlands Dagblad.