LEIDEN – A majority of Dutch citizens in the European Netherlands are unfamiliar with the political and constitutional relationships within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This is one of the key findings of a public opinion survey, the results of which will be presented next week by special professor of Kingdom Relations, Wouter Veenendaal, during his inaugural lecture. The survey, conducted among 3,000 respondents, revealed that only a quarter of participants were aware of the Kingdom’s relations with the Caribbean territories.
“It has been a long time since such a survey was conducted, so we lack a clear understanding of how European Dutch citizens perceive the relationships with the Caribbean islands within the Kingdom. The survey results are striking in multiple ways. I hope my chair contributes to greater knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean, as this is urgently needed,” Veenendaal stated.
Veenendaal’s inaugural lecture, titled "On Equal Footing? Scale and Democracy in Kingdom Relations," marks his appointment to the newly established chair of Kingdom Relations, which was introduced last year by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
“In my lecture, I will discuss the nature of politics and democracy in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, the democratic quality of Kingdom Relations, perceptions of these relations in the European Netherlands, and the importance of comparative research. I am greatly looking forward to this event, which also marks the official launch of a research project on politics and democracy in the Kingdom that I will be conducting in the coming years with scholars from both sides of the ocean,” Veenendaal added.