Dutch OK with gay, atheist, female Prime Minister
78% of voters in Holland would be comfortable with a homosexual leader, a wide-ranging opinion poll has revealed.
Under a third would find an Islamic Prime Minister acceptable, while a mere 33% would be happy with a fundamentalist Christian.
21,000 members of popular TV programme EenVandaag’s opinion panel gave their views.
Given the Dutch reputation for tolerance, some of the figures are surprising.
34% would accept a PM who visits prostitutes and 26% one who took hard drugs such as heroin.
There is a strong prejudice against a member of one of the country’s ethnic minorities taking political control.
While three-quarters said they would be comfortable with a dark-skinned Prime Minister, when asked about specific groups the figures plunged: Moroccan 31%, Turkish 33 %, Antillean 43% and Surinamese 50%.
With regard to religion, an atheist PM would be acceptable to 87%, a Jewish PM scored 53%, an Islamic PM only 27%.
Just 19% would be happy with a political leader over 70, while 93% were comfortable with a female premier.
