Many Dutch residents lack knowledge about duties of municipal government

While the majority of residents in the Netherlands feel more positively about local politics than national politics, many are actually unfamiliar with the duties of a municipality. This was revealed in a survey conducted in the lead-up to the municipal elections.

64 percent of residents satisfied with local Dutch government

On March 18, 2026, residents will head to the polls to cast their votes in the municipal elections. Thousands of internationals will be able to participate if they are EU-citizens or non-EU citizens who have lived in the Netherlands for at least five years.

The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) conducted a survey among residents in the Netherlands to see how reliable they found the local government to be. 64 percent of participants were satisfied with their municipalities, giving a score of six or higher, while only 34 percent are satisfied with the national government. 

“People are more positive about the extent to which the municipal government is aware of local issues, carefully weighs interests and solves local problems,” said SCP in the study. But residents are “critical” of the local government being open about mistakes or acting out of self-interest.

Unfamiliarity with local politics

According to SCP, many people in the Netherlands are unfamiliar with what a municipality does and are uninterested in local politics. "I think things are going pretty well, yes. I don't actually know what exactly these people do," said one respondent.

Tasks of a municipality include issuing official documents, such as passports and driving licences, providing social security benefits, supervising housing construction, building and maintaining roads and cycle paths and creating environmental plans, among others. The local government is also responsible for implementing laws introduced by the national government. 

Researchers view the lack of knowledge as a problem, stating that residents would be hard-pressed to hold the municipality accountable if they lack knowledge of its role. Also, it would be difficult for local politicians to foster trust.

Another risk this causes is that “mildly positive assessments of local government can easily shift to negative ones, for example, in the event of a bad personal experience or a local scandal”. This is why local government should explain their choices and make an effort to demonstrate that they are working towards the interests of the community.