Fortress Holland? Support for ethnocentric policies among the 1994‐electorate of The Netherlands

Abstract
The Dutch have a long tradition of hospitality towards ethnic immigrants. In the nineties, however, quite dramatic changes have taken place among the Dutch. The central question addressed in this contribution is: to what extent do specific categories within the electorate favour ethnocentric policies? This question is answered by deducing hypotheses that are tested using recent data polled within the framework of the Dutch National Election Studies. Our crucial conclusion is that a rather widespread support for ethnocentric policies is present in contemporary Dutch society, especially among manual labourers, self‐employed and lowly educated people, but also among young cohorts and among modal income categories.