Governing Under Fire
A National Survey on Violence Against Politicians
Political violence, i.e. acts which are intended to attack politicians personally or hinder their work, has become an urgent concern worldwide. Politicians face increasing levels of violent offences ranging from online insults and property damage to explicit threats and, in the most severe cases, physical attacks. Such violent offences endanger democratic processes by undermining political participation and restricting public debate. The Netherlands are no exception to these global trends.
The Project
Funded by the Dutch Research Council, this project turns to those who are directly affected but hardly asked for their experiences. A large-scale quantitative survey with Dutch politicians will address gaps in research on the scope and nature of political violence and provide a nuanced picture of who is attacked in what ways and with what effects.
The survey reaches out to elected politicians on the national, provincial and municipal level to share their perspectives and experiences. Answering these questions is crucial for developing effective strategies for prevention, protection, support, and responsible counter-speech.
We will share the results from this study on this project website once the study is completed. The more politicians participate, the more accurate and generalizable the results will be.
While we observe growing violence against politicians in the Netherlands, our understanding of its patterns and consequences remains limited as those who are directly affected are hardly asked for their experiences beyond official statistics. As a result, crucial questions remain insufficiently answered:
- Who is targeted? What is the social and political profile of politicians who experience political violence?
- How does violence occur? Are specific political or social profiles associated with distinct patterns of online and real-world attacks?
- What are the consequences? How do politicians cope with direct and indirect experiences of political violence, and what effects do these experiences have on their decision-making and long-term political engagement?
UnderFire aims to address these gaps with a quantitative survey of Dutch politicians.
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Information in brief for participating politicians
Why is this research performed?
This study sheds light on a major challenge that politicians across political levels and political spectrum frequently report. We aim to explore Dutch politicians’ experiences with politically motivated violence—that is, acts intended to attack you personally or hinder your political work. We want to identify (1) groups of politicians that are particularly under pressure, (2) forms of violence targeting you, and (3) factors that drive political violence. Such information is needed to develop effective counter measures and strategies.
What happens during my participation?
We invite you to an online survey of about 15 minutes length. During the survey, we ask for your experiences with violence, conclusions you may have drawn from these experiences, and personal information related to you (e.g. your party affiliation and gender).
Please also participate if you have not encountered any violent incidents as this helps us to understand the magnitude and severity of this issue.
If reflecting on violent incidents that you have encountered makes you uncomfortable or stressed, you can stop your participation any time.
Is my participation voluntary?
Your participation is voluntary. If you want to stop, you can simply close the browser. After your participation you may not want us to use your data for the project anymore. In that case, you can still withdraw your consent. To withdraw after your participation, please email to the responsible researcher, Dr. Corinna Oschatz (c.m.oschatz@uva.nl).
No matter whether you participate or not, we will share the results from this study with you on our project website. The more politicians participate, the more accurate and generalizable the results will be.
What happens to my data?
In this study, the University of Amsterdam collects the personal data connected to you personally such as party and gender, and the survey answers on your experiences with politically motivated violence. Your personal data will be treated with care as specified by law (the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR).
Your personal data will be collected and stored by third parties. We have contracts with these parties to guarantee your privacy.
Research data can be published and reused in other research, but only in such a way that it cannot be traced back to you.
How long will my data be stored?
Considering scientific integrity and transparency, your personal data and other research materials will be securely archived for a maximum of 10 years after the project has finished.
Additional information
For questions about the study, either before you participate or afterwards, please contact the responsible researcher: Dr. Corinna Oschatz, c.m.oschatz@uva.nl. For complaints about this study, please contact the Ethics Review Board (ERB) of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research [ASCoR], send an email to ascor-secr-fmg@uva.nl.
For complaints about the processing of your personal data, you can contact the Data Protection Officer of the University of Amsterdam through fg@uva.nl.
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Results and output
Results will be shared here once the survey is completed.
Interested or have questions?
Please feel free to contact Corinna Oschatz at c.m.oschatz@uva.nl.
The team
The study is led by Dr. Corinna Oschatz, Assistant Professor of Political Communication and Journalism at the University of Amsterdam, who serves as the project’s principal investigator and oversees its implementation.
Dr. Patrick van Erkel, Assistant Professor of Political Communication and Journalism at the University of Amsterdam, collaborates on the project by contributing complementary expertise and supporting its research activities.