More than seven in 10 Flemish people support the federal government’s decision to limit unemployment benefits to two years, according to De Stemming, the annual opinion poll commissioned by VRT NWS, De Standaard and RTBF.
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Opinion poll shows broad public support for limiting unemployment benefit
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Support is greater in Flanders than in Brussels and Wallonia, but even there a majority is in favour of restricting benefits. However, despite broad backing for specific reforms, 40% of Flemish people and half of Walloons believe the government is not distributing the financial burden fairly.
There have been loud protests against the federal government’s reforms in recent months, with widespread industrial action by trade unions, including a national strike this week. Nevertheless, there is broad support among the population for the planned reforms.
Three-quarters of people in Flanders are in favour of adjusting civil servants’ pensions, and more than 70% support the decision to limit unemployment benefits to two years. The measures that form part of what the government calls “the strictest migration policy ever” also meet with widespread approval.
Support is most pronounced among voters for Flemish nationalist party N-VA. Of the governing parties, voters for socialists Vooruit are the least enthusiastic, but even there, the socio-economic reforms can count on a majority.
When you ask people about a measure, they agree, but when you ask them more abstractly if they’re happy with the government, left-wing voters say ‘no’ and right-wing voters say ‘yes’
“If you break down the results by party, you see there is also a lot of support among Vlaams Belang and Open VLD voters,” says Stefaan Walgrave, a political scientist at the University of Antwerp who conducted the research.
“That is quite remarkable. The situation is different among the left-wing opposition parties, but even a majority of Groen voters are in favour of the pension reform.”
Less than half of Walloons agree with the pension reform. Under this system, people will receive a lower pension if they retire before the statutory retirement age and a higher pension if they continue to work longer.
In French-speaking Belgium, support for the measures is much more in line with the political landscape: voters for governing parties Les Engagés and MR are clearly in favour of the measures, while voters for PS, PTB and Ecolo are opposed.
When asked not about specific measures but about their opinion of the government’s plans in general, the balance is more negative. 53% of Walloons are dissatisfied with the coalition agreement, while only 22% explicitly support it.
The Flemish are also less positive when asked this general question: 38% are strongly in favour, while about a third are opposed. A quarter say they are neutral.
The situation is different among the left-wing opposition parties, but even a majority of Groen voters are in favour of the pension reform
“This paints a different picture than when you present the concrete measures. It may seem paradoxical, but we see it more often,” says Walgrave.
“When you ask people specifically about a measure, they agree, but when you ask them more abstractly whether they’re happy with the government, left-wing voters say ‘no’ and right-wing voters say ‘yes’. When it comes to concrete measures, you see that there is actually quite a lot of support among opposition voters as well.”
Meanwhile, the federal government’s core cabinet reached an agreement on Wednesday night on the timing of the reduction to unemployment benefits. The principle will be implemented in three stages. On 1 January 2026, people who have been unemployed for more than 20 years will lose their benefits. On 1 March, those who have been out of work for more than eight years will follow, with people unemployed for between two and eight years losing benefits from 1 April.