Failed promises of modernization: Temporal trends in religiosity, postmaterialism and Ethno-nationalist attitudes in the Netherlands

Abstract

Th e process of modernization is understood to imply changing tends in prevalenceof certain value orientations. Th eoretical accounts dealing with theprocesses of global value changes include notions such as secularization, modernization,and postmaterialist value shift, among others. Th e paper analyzestrends in prevalence of thee basic value or ideological orientations: religiosity,postmaterialism and nationalist attitudes. Th e classical theories of valuetransformation imply decrease in religiosity and nationalist orientations, andincrease in post-materialism. Th e problem is examined using data the DutchParliamentary Election Studies (DPES). Th e Netherlands is an especially appropriatecase to address these problems. Th e trend of the initial sharp secularizationand then persisting religious cleavage is particularly clearly outlinedhere. Th e Dutch have also been found to be among the most postmaterialistnations. Finally, the new trend of anti-immigrant politics has also been earlyand very vividly expressed in the Netherlands, indicating the importance ofnationalist attitudes.Th e main fi ndings indicate that modernization and ‘post-modernization’theories are imperfect explanations for the observed trends in values. Decreasein religiosity is observed only for some indicators, while trends in nationalistand post-materialist orientations do not follow the expected course.