Only one in three Dutch people think that Zwarte Piet should remain black. That will be revealed on Friday research from I&O Research. In 2016, 65 percent of the respondents still wanted Piet to remain black. That percentage has almost halved in six years: only 33 percent of the Dutch people surveyed are now in favor of Zwarte Piet.
About 55 percent of the Dutch think that Piet’s appearance should change; a small proportion of those questioned say they do not know (7 percent), or want Piet to be abolished altogether (4 percent). Dutch people with a Surinamese or Antillean background most often think that Piet should have a different appearance. Young people are also often critical of Zwarte Piet. Practically educated people are more often in favor of Zwarte Piet than people who have been trained theoretically.
The appearance of Zwarte Piet has been a subject of discussion for years. Groups such as Kick Out Zwarte Piet criticize the character as a racist caricature. Support for a different appearance for Sinterklaas’ helpers has been increasing every year since 2016, according to research by I&O Research.
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