Most Dutch citizens know little about the contents of the Dutch constitution although they profess that they attach great importance to it, a survey showed Wednesday.
According to the results of a survey conducted by Dutch pollster TNS Nipo among 1,246 Dutch citizens, 94 percent of the respondents said it is important to have a constitution, but 84 percent said they do not know the contents well or at all.
None of those polled could correctly answer all six questions about the Dutch constitution set by the researchers, and only 6 percent got three or more questions right, Dutch news agency NIS reported.
The survey results were presented during the symposium "The Invisible Constitution" in The Hague, which was initiated by the government to mark the 25th anniversary of the last revision of the constitution in 1983.
Some 83 percent of the respondents believe that young people should learn what is in the constitution at school, which does not happen now.
Dutch Home Affairs Minister Guusje ter Horst agreed that schools should foster such knowledge. Ter Horst wrote in an opinion piece in Dutch paper NRC Handelsblad Wednesday that the text of the constitution appears "pallid."
In her view, "content and structure (of the constitution) are not very accessible" and "some constitutional rights are somewhat archaically formulated."
The minister suggested a preamble be included in the constitution that should be "an introductory and inspiring text that gives the Constitution a context and a perspective."
She also proposed "an opening chapter with general definitions in which basic characteristics or values of our constitution, legal system and national identity are expressed."
Source: Xinhua
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