A poll conducted by independent research agency Motivaction has found that public faith in Dutch media and interest in news has grown over the past year.

High confidence and growing interest in news in the Netherlands

A representative group of around 2.000 people between the ages of 18 and 80 were polled between January 19 and January 23. The central theme of Motivaction’s research was to find to what extent people are interested in the news, which news sources they consult, and to what extend the source influences the credibility of the news presented.

Motivaction found that, despite the growing popularity of the term “fake news” over the past few years, trust in Dutch media is high: over half the respondents agreed that news in the Netherlands could be trusted. There is also a high demand for news in the Netherlands - 75 percent of respondents were (very) interested in news. 

The poll also revealed that members of the public have followed news more intensively over the past year, likely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The number of people who check the news several times a day has increased since 2019. 48 percent of respondents check the news between two and five times per day.

Younger generations less trusting of news

The survey also looked at the difference in perspectives between different generations, and found that younger generations (18 to 24) are more likely to doubt what they read or hear - 45 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds compared to an average of 33 percent. 

Furthermore, the results of the poll revealed respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 were less likely to believe that freedom of the press and independent journalism are important issues, whereas for those over the age of 45 it is deemed (very) important for democracy. Young adults are also more likely to believe that the dangers of COVID-19 are exaggerated by the media (34 percent compared to an average of 18 percent) and are more likely to believe the virus is part of a larger conspiracy theory (20 percent versus 11 percent).

Right-wing voters less likely to trust Dutch news sources

According to the survey, those who have a lot of trust in news media are generally higher earners with a higher level of education, and are between the ages of 45 and 64. They are also more likely to vote for the Labour Party (PvdA), D66, GroenLinks, or the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). 

In comparison, those who have little trust in news media generally earn lower salaries and are between the ages of 18 and 34. They are more likely to vote for the Party for Freedom (PVV), Forum for Democracy (FvD), or the Reformed Political Party (SGP) in an election.