News item | 28-02-2023 | 10:00 am
89% of the Dutch think it is important that we have a Constitution. Freedom of expression, right to vote and right to privacy are regarded as the most important fundamental rights. And 80% of the Dutch believe that the Constitution should be better known to all citizens of the Netherlands.
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This is evident from a public poll conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations about the Constitution.
One of the substantive guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is the promotion of a strong and lively democracy. The Constitution is an important pillar for this. However, it is not well known to what extent citizens are engaged with the Constitution and their fundamental rights in their daily lives. To map this out, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations conducted a short public survey (flash survey) among more than 1,000 residents of the Netherlands.
Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (Interior and Kingdom Relations): “The Constitution is the basis of our democracy, forms the foundation of our society and reflects our common identity. The Constitution contains your fundamental rights, which apply to everyone in the Netherlands. The Dutch rightly regard better awareness of the Constitution and fundamental rights as important. That is why, in the year 2023, we will pay attention to the Constitution in several ways, which has existed for 175 years this year.”
General view flash poll
The flash poll shows that the importance of having a Constitution is still evident to many citizens. It provides the feeling of protection for most people. Confidence in the Constitution is also quite high. At the same time, it is striking that many people feel that they do not (have not) had much to do with it in their daily lives. Although a large group thinks that they do not know the content well, most citizens do have a clear picture of what the Constitution is and it is possible to distinguish existing from non-existent fundamental rights. Many people think that more attention should be paid to the Constitution: A large part thinks that (83%) young people should be taught about what is in the Constitution and that the Constitution should be better known to all citizens of the Netherlands (80% ). In addition, a large group would also like to have more (applied) information.
Some other outcomes:
- Almost everyone (89%) thinks having a Constitution is important. A small part (7%) is neutral and only 3% thinks it is not important.
- About three in five feel (very) well protected by the fundamental rights in the Constitution. 28% are neutral about this. Only 6% feel (very) poorly protected.
- Many people report having experienced ‘fundamental rights violations’, such as aggression/violence (23%), threats/intimidation (22%) or discrimination (18%). However, a majority (52%) say they have never had to deal with this kind of unpleasant situation.
- The addition of the General Provision from 2022 is seen as important by a large majority (72%). 30% even say very important. And only 2% say it is very unimportant.
175 years of Constitution
This year marks 175 years since the Constitution of 1848 came into force. This Constitution is seen as an important milestone. And it is 40 years since the great constitutional amendment of 1983 took place. Therefore, in 2023, special attention will be paid to the Constitution in a number of ways. For example, the Cabinet of the King, the Supreme Court and the Council of State will be opened on Saturday 3 June. There will be discussions with the public about questions such as what it means in practice that the Netherlands is a democratic constitutional state. And how we have shaped that, how a law is created, who controls the government and how our judiciary works. The ProDemos information center will also pay attention to the celebration of 175 years of the Constitution within its regular activities aimed at young people, such as in the guided tours by the supervisors and in game and teaching materials.
In addition to the anniversary of the Constitution, the Constitution will play an important role during this cabinet term because of innovations that are on the agenda for this cabinet term. For example, seven constitutional amendments have already been adopted during this government’s term of office, including the addition of a General Provision to the Constitution (“The Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and the democratic rule of law”), the right to a fair trial and the expansion of the grounds for discrimination in art. 1 with disability and sexual orientation. This constitutional revision has also made it possible for Dutch nationals abroad to exert influence on the composition of the Senate, through electoral colleges specially set up for this purpose. The Senate will be elected again this year, so the first results of this constitutional amendment can be seen in the short term. In April, the House of Representatives will debate the introduction of constitutional review, ie the question to what extent the court can review “ordinary” laws against the Constitution in order to increase people’s individual legal protection.