SP International :: Members

SP members’ profile

The membership of the SP is not only rapidly growing in number, but also forms an increasingly representative cross-section of the Dutch population. This is demonstrated by the results of an extensive survey carried out amongst SP members at the end of 2005, a survey in which almost 15,000 members, 33% of the total membership, took part. In 2001 a similar survey was undertaken. Below, the two sets of results are compared.*

• The proportion of women members is growing steadily. In 2001 they formed 37% of the membership; in 2005 this had grown to 40%.
• The party is getting younger. the percentage of under-30s grew from 10% to 13%, while the percentage of members over 60 fell from 25% to 20%.
• SP members like to be active: a good 42% are willing to give their time for the party, while they are also likely to be actively involved in other organisations.
• The SP counts a relatively high proportion of trade unionists amongst its members: 33% are members of a trade union, as opposed to 13% of the population as a whole.

Below are a number of survey results giving more precise information on our members.

Society and its problems

Responses to the question as to what they saw as the biggest problems facing society at the present time demonstrate a certain amount of movement when compared to 2001. The Balkenende government's policy of cutting provision has pushed the erosion of social rights into first place in the league table. Yet SP members remain concerned citizens of the world: global inequality retains its high position on the list.

Society's biggest problems
	2005	2001
Erosion of social rights and social provision	55%	42%
Unequal distribution of income, knowledge and power	51%	42%
Unequal distribution of prosperity globally	48%	53%
Threats to nature and the environment	39%	41%
“Everyone for himself” mentality shown by many people	35%	37%
Reduced access to health care	29%	34%
Lack of good-quality, affordable housing for everyone	25%	21%
Handover of national competences and powers to the EU	18%	17%
Inadequate integration for many immigrants	15%	17%
International terrorism	10%	–
Insecurity in own neighbourhood and town	6%	14%

Education

The average level of education of SP members is rising and is now clearly above the average for the broader Dutch population.

Highest level of education completed
	SP members 2005	SP members 2001	Dutch working population
Primary education (to age of 12)	5%	8%	9%
LBO/VMBO (Basic vocational education and training)	10%	16%	14%
MAVO (Basic vocational education and training)	9%	9%	11%
HAVO/VWO (secondary education)	16%	14%	11%
MBO (Intermediate vocational education and training)	19%	25%	30%
HBO (Advanced vocational education and training, equivalent to vocationally-oriented degree)	28%	20%	16%
University	12%	8%	9%

Work

Half of the total of SP members is in paid employment. The proportion of pensioners and others without work is falling, while the number of students is rising.

Main occupation
			2005	2001
Paid employment			49%	46%
Unemployed			17%	18%
Pensioner			14%	19%
Student			5%	3%
Housewife/husband			5%	7%
Voluntary worker			4%	3%
Other			6%	5%

Of those members in paid employment, a relatively high proportion work in health care and other caring services (21%) and in education (12%).

Red and green

What is striking is the high level of civic participation shown by SP members.

Membership of other organisations
Works' council	4%
Greenpeace	23%
“Natuurmonumenten” (responsible for management of areas of natural beauty)	22%
Environmental organisation	15%
Sport/leisure society	20%
Church	9%
Amnesty International	17%
Student/school student organisation	2%
Doctors Without Frontiers	10%
Alternative globalisation group	2%
Community broadcasting organisation	31%
Other social organisation	30%

Voting habits prior to membership, and current second choice

The membership survey also enquired about the political origins of SP members. For a lot of members the decision to join the SP came shortly after a change in their voting allegiance. Before they joined, one in four voted PvdA (Labour) and 12% for the Green Left. Asked about their second choice were there to be an election (i.e. in the autumn of 2005), 41% opted for the Green Left and 20% Labour. 19% felt that they would not vote at all should there be no SP candidate.

Voting behaviour prior to membership, and current second choice
	Voting behaviour prior to membership	Current second choice
CDA (Christian Democrats, centre-right)	2%	0%
Christian Union (centrist Christians)	0%	7%
D66 (centrist liberals)	3%	1%
Green Left	12%	41%
LPF (right-wing populists)	1%	1%
PvdA (Labour, centre-left)	25%	20%
SGP (right-wing Christians)	0%	0%
SP	47%	3%
VVD (right-wing liberals)	1%	0%
other	4%	6%
none	5%	19%

Linked to the question of “second choice” was the answer to the question as to which other parties the SP's members felt their party could or should work with, an important matter in a system which, at both national and local level, invariably requires the formation of governing coalitions. 79% answered that they would be happy to work with the Green Left, 72% with Labour, 30% with the Christian Union and 12% with D66. No other party scored more than 3%.

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* A major survey was also conducted in autumn, 2003. This was confined to members who had joined since 2001, 50% of whom responded.