Interest in social problems in the Netherlands, 1971-1997
| 1971 | 1972 | 1977 | 1981 | 1982 | 1986 | 1989 | 1994 | 1997 | |
| % | |||||||||
| Crime: law and order | 8 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 23 | 43 |
| Minorities and discrimination | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 51 | 32 |
| Work and employment | 7 | 21 | 71 | 69 | 74 | 61 | 32 | 41 | 16 |
| Health and care | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 16 |
| The environment | 37 | 33 | 16 | 25 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 16 | 13 |
| Living | 40 | 27 | 15 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Defence: war and peace | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Source: CBS. | CBS/EDC/Oct02 | ||||||||
| N.B. Among people aged 18 and older. | |||||||||
Developments in interest in environmental issues
The interest of the population aged over 18 in environmental issues fluctuates. In 1971 and 1972, the environment topped the list of perceived national problems but interest in this issue then ebbed and unemployment came to occupy a prominent position. Partly as a result of the attention given to the environment in the National Environmental Policy Plan, interest rose substantially in 1989.
During the 1990s, interest has been declining. In 1994, 16% of voters saw the environment as a significant issue. In 1997, interest in environmental issues declined even further, with people placing a higher priority on issues such as crime, law and order, minorities and discrimination, work and employment, and health and care.
Interest in aspects of nature and environmental issues
Environmental problems can be subdivided into four groups. In 1997, 80% of respondents were concerned about "the environment in general", whilst 15% were worried about air, soil and water pollution. Three per cent mentioned nature conservation issues such as "too few green spaces" and 2% mentioned other environmental problems. Environmental problems were mentioned more by the more highly educated respondents. Twenty-five per cent of graduate level respondents perceive the environment as a national problem compared to 20% of those with the lowest levels of education.
