Netherlands: Immigrants Feel There are Too Many Immigrants

When immigrant start getting tired of more and more immigrants ~ of course the views of the immigrants would excluded from the 'racists-xenophobic' category and moved into the 'concerns' category ~ but it does serve as a wake up call that perhaps the Europe's immigration policy is flawed and badly in need of reform.

THE HAGUE, 25/03/10 - Many immigrants themselves consider there are too many immigrants in the Netherlands. Turks are even more negative than the 'indigenous' Dutch, according to a survey by the Socio-Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) commissioned by the integration ministry.

Among Turks, 58 percent feel there are too many immigrants in the Netherlands, compared with 44 percent among the 'indigenous' (white) Dutch population. This view is also ascribed to around one-third of the Moroccan, Surinamese and Antillean Dutch.

About one-third of the Turks (35 percent) and Moroccans (29 percent) in the Netherlands have no contact with white Dutch people in their free time. Among the Surinamese, the figure is 14 percent and among the Antilleans, 17 percent. The other way round, 52 percent of the Dutch have no contact with non-Western immigrants in their free time.

The ethnic composition of the neighbourhood influences the degree of inter-ethnic contact. Migrants who live in overwhelmingly 'black' districts have contact less often with white Dutch than migrants living in mostly 'white' districts, the SCP concludes.

The white Dutch assess Moroccans most negatively. On an assessment scale of 0 to 100, the Moroccan group comes bottom with 45 points, followed closely by the Antillean group (48 percent). The Turkish group gets 55 points and the Surinamese, 58 points.

Non-Western migrants assess the white Dutch more positively. The Surinamese give them an average score of 71 points. Turks, Moroccans and Antilleans give the Dutch 66 points on average, but SCP does not report separate scores from these three groups.

Over one-fifth (22 percent) of the white Dutch would find it unpleasant or very unpleasant if their children were to have an immigrant partner. The other way round, 40 percent of Turks and 35 percent of Moroccan Dutch would find it (very) unpleasant if their children should choose a white partner. Among person of Surinamese and Antillean extraction, this number is much lower (5 and 3 percent respectively).

Among the Turkish Dutch, 37 percent endorse the statement that 'as an immigrant to Netherlands one is given all opportunities'. This applies to 38 percent of the Antilleans, 40 percent of the Moroccans and 51 percent of the Surinamese Dutch, while 43 percent of the indigenous Dutch endorse the statement.

Around 40 percent of people of Turkish, Moroccan and Antillean extraction say they have personal experiences of discrimination. Among the Surinamese Dutch, this applies to 33 percent.

NIS