Copyright © BusinessAMBE 2023

Market research company Ipsos releases a major poll on populism. Using a number of statements, people around the world were surveyed. What turns out: Belgians are also dissatisfied with the country, but they agree with harsh views less often than the rest of the world.

Populism scores, also in the polls in Belgium. With the federal and regional elections coming up, it's looking forward to seeing how populist left and right score.

Noted: Belgians consistently score below average on populist propositions, although the percentages are sometimes high.

  • With the statement "Our society is not working", exactly 50 percent of the Belgians surveyed agree. Another 30 percent say they don't know. The global average is higher, 57 percent. It is also noteworthy that the percentage of yes-voters decreases over the years: in 2019 it was still 64 percent.
  • The majority of Belgians do not believe that traditional politics can fix it: 58 percent say that "traditional politics and politicians don't care about people like me." Still, that is lower than the average (64 percent) and countries like the U.S. (65 percent), the UK (66 percent) and France (71 percent).
  • Again 58 percent of Belgians believe that "a strong leader is needed to take the country back from the rich and powerful," compared to a global average of 63 percent.
    • Another 46 percent indicate that that leader must break rules to restore Belgium.
  • With the statement "The biggest divide in our country is between the common people and the economic and political elite," 59 percent of Belgians agree, compared with 67 percent worldwide. That score seems high, but was still 68 percent in 2021.

Taking away jobs

Zooming in: More Belgians than before think immigration is causing the problem.

  • Populist politicians worldwide are quick to connect society's problems to migration. Ipsos conducted research on that, too. Belgians' views are largely in line with neighboring countries.
    • For example, 44 percent feel that "Belgium would be stronger if we stopped immigration." That almost matches the global average (43 percent), and is up from 2021 (then 38 percent).
    • Globally, 42 percent of respondents agree with the classic "Immigrants are taking jobs away from real residents." For Belgium, that percentage is lower, at 33 percent. That is on par with the Netherlands (31 percent) and France (32 percent). Another 33 percent disagree with that statement.

Defense is not important

Zoomed out: which areas should the Belgian government focus on?

  • Finally, Ipsos also surveyed where Belgians would like to see their tax money go. In general, Belgians are not fans of an increase: 60 percent think taxes should be reduced.
  • By domain, however, some striking figures can be found:
    • 61 percent want more government money for education. This is about the same as the French (63 percent), but significantly more than the Dutch (55 percent) and less than the Germans (71 percent).
    • 65 percent want more investment in health care. This puts Belgium below the global average of 75 percent.
    • Defense is a hot topic worldwide, but Belgians are less concerned about it. 37 percent want more defense spending, compared to 51 percent worldwide.

Conclusion: Ipsos concludes that populism is on the rise worldwide. The results seem to confirm this for Belgium as well, albeit somewhat more moderately than in the rest of the world.

© The Content Exchange, source News