The housing crisis and rising healthcare costs top the concerns of Dutch voters instead of asylum.
The priorities of Dutch voters have undergone a significant shift since the last parliamentary elections in November 2023. While issues of immigration, particularly asylum and migrant labor, dominated the public debate at that time, the housing crisis and rising healthcare costs in 2025 have become the most pressing issues on the political agenda.
During the 2023 campaign, right-wing parties succeeded in linking the housing crisis to the immigration problem. The Schoof I government promised to implement the strictest asylum policies in Dutch history, proposed reducing the 30 percent tax exemption for expatriates, and pressured universities to reduce the number of courses offered in English and limit the number of international students.
However, after nearly two years, not much of these promises has been fulfilled. The Netherlands still suffers from a shortage estimated at around 430,000 housing units, and the number is expected to rise to 453,000 by 2027. Asylum centers remain overcrowded, and the labor market is facing a shortage of workforce, prompting companies to recruit foreign labor. At the same time, universities have begun to warn of a decline in the number of international students and the potential loss of the skills the country needs.
Although immigration is still an issue that concerns part of the voters, it no longer takes the lead. A survey conducted by Aedes, the umbrella organization for housing institutions in the Netherlands, showed that the housing crisis has become a source of widespread frustration. The organization stated, "A quarter of people who do not live in suitable housing have completely stopped looking for new accommodation," indicating a growing sense of despair among those searching for housing. This sentiment was reflected in the electoral debates, where party leaders discussed the possibility of building 100,000 homes annually as previous governments had planned.
Despite the continued calls from the PVV party, and to a lesser extent the VVD party, to tighten asylum policies, most major parties agreed that closing the borders will not solve the ongoing housing crisis. At the same time, healthcare costs have risen to become another major issue. In a debate organized by RTL last week, the topic of basic health insurance became the focus of a surprising discussion. Parties such as D66, VVD, ChristenUnie, SGP, Volt, and JA21 called for a "freeze" on the basic health insurance package, meaning that new and expensive treatments would not be automatically included. The CDA party's program also included similar proposals to cut healthcare spending and redirect part of it to defense funding. However, patient organizations warned that these measures could make good healthcare available only to those who can afford to pay for it.