Between 2010 and 2024 in the Netherlands, the percentage of people who do not identify with any religion increased from 45 percent to 56 percent. The largest religious group in 2024 was the Roman Catholic group, with 17 percent of Dutch people identifying as Roman Catholic. In 2024, 14 percent of the Dutch population considered themselves a member of the three main protestant churches, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The percentage of people who identify as Muslim has remained the same at five percent over the years. Do the people who identify with a religion always participate? The percentage of people in the Netherlands who participate in a religion is not necessarily the same as that of people who identify with a religion. The most prominent religious group, the Roman Catholics, only saw a participation of three percent, the same as those identifying with the Protestant Church, despite only six percent identifying with that denomination. The highest participation rate is in the group 'other' with four percent, despite only 10 percent identifying in those religions. It shows, therefore, that some religions see significantly higher participation rates despite a lower percentage identifying with it. Does the percentage of Muslims in the Netherlands align with the perceived percentage of Muslims? In 2018, the Dutch population believed that 20 percent of the population was Muslim, even though only five percent were Muslim. This overestimation of the Muslim population is in line with the rest of Europe. Germany, for example, predicted a Muslim population of 21 percent while the actual Muslim population was four percent. In Belgium, residents believed that 27 percent of the population was Muslim, while in reality, it was only five percent.

In 2023 roughly half of the Dutch population did not identify with any religious denomination. Of the religious population, the largest number of people at 17 percent identified themselves as Roman Catholics. That is particularly interesting, as the dominating church in the Netherlands since the Reformation had been the Protestant church. According to the source, approximately 13 percent of the Dutch population considered themselves a member of the three main protestant churches, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The category 'other' includes not only the smaller protestant churches, but also religions that are newer to the Netherlands, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. According to this statistic, Muslims made up six percent of the population in the Netherlands.

This statistic shows the religious participation in the Netherlands in 2018. It shows that only a minority of the Dutch population regularly goes to church or other religious services and meetings. None of the denominations reach more than 5 percent. As of 2018, three percent of the Dutch population attended Roman Catholic services/meetings at least once a month.

This statistic displays the results of a survey of opinions concerning the impact of declining Christian influence in Dutch society in the Netherlands in 2018. The survey outcome suggest that over half of the Dutch population saw the declining influence of the Christian religion on society as neither a strength nor a threat. Meanwhile, just over a fifth of respondents saw the decline of the impact of Christianity in society as a strength, while the share of people surveyed who saw this as a threat was slightly higher, at 23 percent.

This data collection contains voting information from percentagized election returns for each of the nine general elections to the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) of the Dutch Parliament in the period 1888-1917, as well as information on religious composition for all of the 100 municipalities of the Netherlands. Variables computed from the basic election statistics on the basis of a left-right dimension of the political parties provide information on the number and percentage of votes cast for the Conservatives, the Liberals, the Radicals, the Social-Democrats, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, the Catholics, and the other left-wing and right-wing parties. Additional variables provide information on age, the number of registered voters, and the total number of votes cast. Religious variables provide information on the percentage of the population associated with specific denominations, such as the Dutch Reformed Church, the Wallon Church, the New Lutheran Church, the Remonstrant Church, the Mennonite Church, the Christian Reformed Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Old Roman Catholic Church, the Jewish religion, and other churches and sects, including those with no religious association.

This is the data gathered in the Netherlands for the PhD dissertation of Sanne van Oosten: Minority Voting and Representation, The impact of religion, migration background and gender on voter preferences for in- and out-group politicians in France, Germany and the Netherlands (2024). It includes sections on the survey questions used, the sampling strategy implemented, pre-registration details, and ethical review documentation. The data provides valuable insights into political attitudes, voting intentions, identification with ethnic and religious groups, feelings of national belonging, and perceived discrimination. We invite everyone to use this data for their own research. Harvard Dataverse has a very similar dataset available for Germany and France as well.

Attitude towards political, religious and social matters / progressiveness, liberalism, conservatism / attitude towards inequality of income, property, power and status / attitude towards change in various fields / expectations regarding society / attitude towards religious groups / political, religious conservatism / satisfaction with living conditions / attitude towards government interference / openmindedness. Background variables: basic characteristics/ housing situation/ occupation/employment/ income/capital assets/ education/ social class/ politics/ religion/ readership, mass media, and 'cultural' exposure/ organizational membership

Data derived from weekly public opinion polls in the Netherlands in 1967 concerning social and political issues. Samples were drawn from the Dutch population aged 21 years and older.

All data from the surveys held between 1962 and 2000 are available in the DANS data collections.

Background variables:
Sex / age / religion / income / vote recall latest elections / party preference / level of education / union membership / professional status / < self > left-right rating / party alignment / province / degree of urbanization / weight factor.

Topical variables:
n6701: Should the Dutch government allow the building of submarines for South-Africa.
n6702: Whether TV watching is more or less pleasant with TV commercials.
n6711: Aid to developing countries / Whether aid to developing countries should be increased / Willingness to pay < more > Income tax for development aid.
n6719: Should the Dutch government allow the building of submarines for South Africa / Preferred political denomination of the new mayor of Amsterdam / Which person is regarded to be the best new mayor of Amsterdam / Developments concerning influence of religion on society influence of religion.
n6723: Concern about situation in Israel / Sympathies with Israel or the Arabic States / Expectations of a new world war and hardening / Point of view of the Dutch government in the Arab-Israel conflict.

This survey focuses on the Netherlands Second Chamber parliamentary election of May 6, 1998. Part 1, Main Study, contains data from the first wave of interviews conducted before the election (March 30-May 5, 1998) and after the election (May 11-July 4, 1998), and a self-completion questionnaire given to respondents at the end of the second wave. Topics addressed during Wave 1 included: the respondent's interest in politics, the most important problems facing the nation, government policy satisfaction, attitudes toward voting, perception of public opinion poll results, political issues such as euthanasia, income differences, asylum seekers, European unification, ethnic minorities, and European Union (EU) membership, sympathy shown by political parties and politicians, political knowledge of leaders and coalitions, social and political goals, and the presence of a cultural community. Topics covered during Wave 2 included respondent's interest level in the campaign, electoral behavior, coalition preference, views on the importance of issues including nuclear plants, traffic, financial deficit, crime, health care, and the environment, satisfaction with democracy in the Netherlands, attention paid to regional differences, faith in prospective premiers, external and internal political efficacy, political cynicism, social isolation, acceptance of political decisions, civic competence and political participation, and social class images. Items in the self-completion questionnaire focused on trust in political institutions, including the police, parliament, and judges, media consumption, whether the respondent had been approached by a political party, whether he/she had tried to convince others to vote, and the demographic characteristics of those with whom the respondent discussed matters of importance. Background information on Part 1 respondents includes age, sex, political party, political orientation, electoral participation history, marital status, employment status, household income, religion, education, household composition, and demographic characteristics of parents and household members. Part 2, Nonresponse Study, Stimulus-Effect Study, and Corresponding Parts of Main Study, contains data from interviews conducted with respondents unwilling to participate in the Dutch Parliamentary Election Study (Nonresponse Study) and data from face-to-face or telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of respondents (Stimulus-Effect Study). Topics addressed in these studies concerned neighborhood characteristics, including degree of urbanization, income level, social class, and education, interest in politics, and voting intention. Background information on Part 2 respondents includes age, sex, electoral participation history, and household composition.

Results per district of nine general elections to the Lower House ( Tweede Kamer ) of the Dutch Parliament between 1888 and 1917 Raw and percentaged election returns, as well as information on religious composition, for all the one hundred electoral districts of the Netherlands is included in this study / Data are available for each of the general elections to the Lower House ( Tweede Kamer ) of the Dutch Parliament / 1888 - 1917 / Religious variables were derived from information found in the 1909 census of the Netherlands / Additional variables, computed from the basic election statistics on the basis of a left-right dimension of the political parties, have also been incorporated into the data set

CCS means and effect sizes of non-religious Dutch vs other groups on Community Collectivism Scale.

This statistic displays the religiously unaffiliated population share in the Netherlands in 2017, by conviction. Roughly 50 percent of the Dutch respondents participating in this survey said to be religiously unaffiliated. Of this 48 percent, nearly 15 percent of the participants described themselves as atheist. Three percent said to be agnostic and over 30 percent considered themselves as "nothing in particular".

This panel study, conducted within the framework of the Dutch Parliamentary Election Studies, was administered in three waves. The first wave was conducted before the 1986 election, the second wave after the 1986 election, and the third wave after the 1989 election. The purpose of the collection was to assess electoral change in the Netherlands. Main topics covered in the first wave include respondent's political interest, national problems of importance to respondents, party identification and membership, voting behavior in the 1986 municipal elections, economic policy, and political issues such as abortion, income differences, nuclear energy, and 1986 vote intentions. Many first-wave items were repeated in the second and third waves. New topics covered in the second wave include respondent's political knowledge, political efficacy and cynicism, respondent's view of religion in society, 1986 and 1982 voting behavior, the 1986 voting behavior of respondent's partner, left-right political ratings, faith in prospective premiers, union membership, sympathy for and participation in new social movements, expectations of economic development, civic competence and civic political participation, future voting probability, experience with unemployment, trait evaluations of politicians, and political issues such as euthanasia, nuclear energy, differences in income, nuclear armaments, the economy, and Social Security. Topics introduced in the third wave focused on 1989 voting behavior, government policy (effect of government policy on economics, satisfaction with government), left-right political ratings, expectations of economic development, sympathy for and participation in new social movements, progressiveness and conservatism, and political issues such as pollution and customs and traditions. Demographic variables include age, gender, marital status, employment status and profession, education, religious affiliation, and household income.

In the year 1800, the population of the region which makes up the present-day Netherlands was approximately two million people. The beginning of the 19th century was a tumultuous time in Dutch history, as the region had recently been annexed by Revolutionary France; however the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was eventually established in 1815 (which also included present-day Belgium and Luxembourg) and a period of economic growth, modernization and high quality of life followed. In spite of this economic prosperity, religious tensions between the predominantly Catholic south and Protestant north led to a split in the kingdom in 1839, where it was eventually partitioned into Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, along borders very similar to today's. Rapid modernization and liberalization continued throughout the 19th century, and in 1900 the population of the Netherlands was over five million people.

Early 20th century The Netherlands was free to continue economic expansion, both in the metropole and in its colonies, uninterrupted for much of the first half of the 20th century (partly facilitated by its neutrality in the First World War). This resulted in a steady rise in population, which doubled to ten million within half a century. Population growth would even continue throughout the Second World War, as the Netherlands would be spared from much of the casualty-heavy conflicts seen in neighboring countries; however, most estimates concur that approximately 210,000 Dutch people died as a result of the war, half of which were Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The war also saw the end of Dutch colonization in the East Indies, as Japan annexed the region of present-day Indonesia in 1942; although the Dutch tried to re-colonize the region after the war, Indonesia became an officially recognized independent nation in 1949.

Netherlands today Population growth in the Netherlands would continue largely uninterrupted in the post-war years, until the 1970s, when it began to slow as Western Europe experienced periods of recession and high unemployment. Improvements in contraceptives and education also saw birth rates fall at their fastest ever rates in the 1970s. Following the recovery of the Dutch economy in the 1990s, population growth would resume once more, continuing steadily into the 21th century. In 2020, the Netherlands is estimated to have a population of just over 17 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. For its size, the Netherlands has one of the strongest economies globally, and often ranks among the highest in terms of development, freedom and quality of life.

Characteristics of respondents who participated in NBS participants or declined NBS, compared to the general Dutch population.

Three independent measurements of the social and cultural activities and situation of the population of Nijmegen. since when does respondent reside in Nijmegen / social status of residential quarter / several aspects of ( previous ) job / church membership, special task or function within church, active participation in groups or clubs of church / life after death, bible is gods' word, does heaven, hell purgatory and devil exist / nationality of ( parents of ) respondent / social inequality between ethnic minorities and Dutch people in general / political interest / educational career / membership of groups, organization, clubs, societies / number of hours per week spend on organizations etc. / organizations with social activities like helping aged people / respondent has been social supporting people during last half year, time spending, time-budgeting / number of days watching tv, not in weekend / average time spending, time budgeting watching tv, also on saturday and sunday / watching newsbulletins and news programs / frequency of watching several tv programs / visiting classical concerts, opera, ballet, musea, arts exposures, frequency of visiting last year and during whole life / readership of books and newspapers / education and occupation of spouse / social inequality between women and men / differences in income / financial expectations / differences between rich and poor people in our country / education and occupation of father / during respondents childhood: housing situation, readership of parents, visits of parents to opera, theatre music, musea, arts exposures / abortion, euthanasia, suicide / social network: three persons: age, sex, occupation, education, religion, political preference, relationship with respondent, frequency of contact / statements about: important things in life / personal qualities / most important Dutch political problem / religion / christianity existence of higher powers / good and evil in the world / suffering and dead / influence of philosophy of life on making decisions and daily life / reason for inequality between ethnic minorities and Dutch people / freedom of speech and demonstrations / view of humankind / political aims / traits of Dutch people / coping with emotions and problems / social supporting / ( traits of ) ethnic minorities / reason for watching television / importance of employment / gender roles / reason for inequality between women and men / importance of local news, clubs and organizations / satisfaction with residential quarter / reason for existence of poor and rich people / trade unions / divisions of housekeeping tasks in respondents' cohabitation or marriage / emotional balance of last few weeks special topics 1993: children at school in residential quarter / shops nearby / frequency of visiting community / relationship with neighbours / topics of conversation with people living in the neighbourhood / feelings of unsafety in quarter / victimization of theft, aggressiveness / political preference of father and mother / education and occupation of father-in-law/ education mother-in-law / political interest of spouse, party preference / division of childcare tasks in respondents' cohabitation or marriage centre / readership of quarter newsbulletins. Background variables: basic characteristics/ housing situation/ household characteristics/ occupation/employment/ income/capital assets/ education/ social class/ politics/ religion/ consumption of durables/ readership, mass media, and 'cultural' exposure/ organizational membership