Dutch-Moroccans least happy in Europe
Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands feel rejected more than their peers in other European countries, and the dissatisfaction is growing amongst children of immigrants, according to a survey commissioned by the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME). The survey was conducted in Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
Researchers concluded that social relations with the second generation in the Netherlands is "significantly more tense" than elsewhere.
Of the immigrants and their children polled in the Netherlands, 64 percent said they feel rejected by society, 14 percentage points higher than the European average. The Dutch immigrants also reported the most trouble finding access to social care and finding work. Researchers said it is "alarming" that the problems seem to increase with the second generation.
Most Moroccans in Europe (78 percent) said they feel their country of origin has a positive image, but half said the image of Moroccan people is less favourable. This view is most persistent in the Netherlands, followed by Spain and Italy. Most second-generation Moroccan immigrants in Germany and France feel they are judged favourably.
The survey also showed that, while most second-generation Moroccan immigrants visit mosques less often than their parents, the trend is reversed in the Netherlands: half of the immigrants' children visit the places of worship, 4 percent more than the first generation.
Social conditions are a cause of concern for the researchers. Some 40 percent of those questioned said they had been without work for a period of time in the past 3 years. Unemployment is especially high in the Moroccan communities in Spain (61 percent), Italy (41 percent) and the Netherlands (38 percent).
http://www.nrc.nl/international/arti...appy_in_Europe
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