Nearly one in two Belgians do not believe that they are properly protected by the police and judiciary, according to a survey conducted by the Kantar polling institute, La Libre Belgique, and RTBF.
The survey, which interviewed over 1,000 Belgians over the period of a week in October, reveals record-low confidence in elected officials, increasing political radicalisation, and growing discontent.
In total, 46.8% of Belgians said that they did not believe that they were protected by the police in Belgium. 12.4% strongly argued that they did not feel protected by police and the judiciary. A slim majority (53.2%), said that they do feel protected.
This represents a drop in confidence compared to last year when 56% of respondents said that they still felt protected by law enforcement. While the reasons behind this drop in confidence have not been shown by the survey, a growing discontent in Belgium is clear surrounding the slowness and perceived laxity of law enforcement.
However, not all assessments of Belgium and its government services were negative. Belgians remain confident in the quality of healthcare. A vast majority (70.9%) said that they agreed that the state, through its health care system, improved the quality of living.
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The Belgian healthcare system has been put to the test during the Covid-19 pandemic, both in terms of government resources, and public perception. In 2021-2022, the positive perception of healthcare has eroded slightly, with nearly a third of the population now perceiving it negatively.
On the topic of discrimination, 79% of Belgian now believe that there should be tougher penalties for discrimination based on sex, gender, or nationality. This feeling is particularly strong in Brussels (81%) and Wallonia (83%), while Flanders still remains more conservative (76%).
83% of women are in favour of harsher sanctions for discrimination, compared to just 74% of men.
