The document summarizes the results of a questionnaire on perspectives regarding the representation of Black Pete in the Netherlands. Key findings include: 1) Respondents were split on the relevance and desirability of the Black Pete discussion, with about a third seeing it as relevant/very relevant and undesirable/very undesirable. 2) Most respondents understood the reasoning and emotions of both sides of the debate, though understanding was higher for those in favor of Black Pete. 3) Those in favor framed the debate as between normal/traditional people and oversensitive people, while opponents saw the debate as between normal/modern people and traditional people. 4) Only a small minority of respondents labeled those in favor as racist, seeing

1. THE NL BLACK PETE DISCUSSION
RELEVANCE & FRAMES DERIVED
FROM THE DUTCH QUESTIONNAIRE

2. THE QUESTIONNAIRE
• Online available between April 30 and July 1,
2014
• Distributed through social media by partners
of the Ezzev Foundation including the Royal
Institute of the Tropics (KIT)
• Both moderate and more radical social media
communities were targeted
• N=362

3. THE TOPICS
The questionnaire topics are related to the intense Dutch
discussion on the representation of the fantasy persona of
Black Pete (Zwarte Piet) during the Dutch Santaclaus
celebrations:
• The relevance of the discussion
• The desirability of the current representation
• The level of understanding of the respondent for the reasoning and
emotions of those pro and against the current representation
• The labeling by the respondent of those pro and against
• The necessity to end the discussion

4. FRAMEWORK
The framework for the questionnaire is the
European project TALKING ABOUT TABOOS.
The project aims to find and apply country specific and
common good practices with regards to dealing with
instances of everyday exclusion. The resulting good
practices will be published on a dedicated Internet
platform.

5. RELEVANCE
Respondents were asked about the relevance of
the discussion
Very irrelevant: 25.7%
Irrelevant: 13.0%
Neither relevant nor irrelevant: 14.6%
Relevant: 32.6%
Very relevant: 14.0%

6. DESIRABILITY OF THE CURRENT
SITUATION
Very undesirable: 13.2%
Undesirable: 15.1%
Neither desirable nor undesirable: 30.3%
Desirable: 18.2%
Very desirable: 23.3%

7. LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING
REASONING
Level of understanding the reasoning of those pro
Yes: 85.6%
No: 14.4%
Level of understanding the reasoning of those against
Yes: 73.0%
No: 27.0%

8. LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING
EMOTIONS
Level of understanding the emotions of those pro
Yes: 82.2%
No: 17.8%
Level of understanding the emotions of those against
Yes: 72.9%
No: 27.1%

9. LABELING THOSE PRO
(multiple options allowed)
• Racists: 6.3%
• Insensitive people: 13.2%
• Normal people: 57.0%
• Traditional people: 55.3%
• Real Dutch people: 15.2%

10. LABELING THOSE AGAINST
(multiple options allowed)
• Foreigners: 10.9%
• Oversensitive people: 43.2%
• Normal people: 47.8%
• Modern people: 23.3%
• Anti-racists: 15.8%

11. IMPORTANT THAT
THE DISCUSSION ENDS
• Yes: 68.2%
• No: 22.4%
• I don’t care: 11.3%

12. FRAMING (1)
The most common ways to frame the discussion are (in order of times
mentioned):
• Normal people discussing with normal people – this viewpoint is most popular among those with a
positive, neutral, negative or very negative attitude towards the current representation of Black
Pete
• Normal people discussing with oversensitive people – this viewpoint is most popular among those
with a very positive, positive or neutral attitude towards the current representation of Black Pete
• Traditional people discussing with normal people - this viewpoint is most popular among those
with a positive, neutral or negative attitude towards the current representation of Black Pete
• Traditional people discussing with oversensitive people - this viewpoint is most popular among
those with a very positive, positive or neutral attitude towards the current representation of Black
Pete
• Traditional people discussing with modern people - this viewpoint is most popular among those
with a neutral or negative attitude towards the current representation of Black Pete

13. FRAMING (2)
A far less common to frame the discussion is
that normal people or insensitive people
discuss with modern people – frames
following the normal people with normal
people framework in popularity among those
with a very negative attitude towards the
current representation of Black Pete.

14. FRAMING (SOURCE)

15. INTERPRETATION (1)
• The people pro see themselves as normal people or as traditional
people
• Those against see those pro as traditional people or as normal
people
The difference seems to lie in how traditions are valued.
• The people against see themselves as normal people or modern
people
• Those pro see those against as oversensitive people or as normal
people

16. INTERPRETATION (2)
The publicly most audible analysis by those with a very negative
attitude towards the current representation of Black Pete is that
this topic concerns racism. This resonates highly in the comments
BUT hardly translates into dubbing people who support the current
representation of Black Pete as racists (6.3% of the respondents
does so).
This seems to implicate that while racism is seen as a cause of the
current representation of Black Pete very few see conscious racism.
Rather they see ignorance – as can also be derived from the
comments – ignorance stemming from tradition.

17. INTERPRETATION (3)
The publicly most audible analysis by those with a very positive
attitude towards the current representation of Black Pete is that the
opponents are foreigners who are alien to indigenous Dutch culture
and should not interfere.
Among a minority of the respondents this resonates in the comments
and in the framing of opponents foreigners (10.9% of the
respondents does so).

18. CONCLUSION
• 17.2% of the respondents side with one of the extremes that
dominate the debate on Black Pete in Dutch media.
• The majority of the respondents expresses (more) moderate
opinions and frames. This majority is hardly heard in Dutch media.
• Although moderate and more radical social media communities
were targeted this questionnaire is not representative –
nevertheless the questionnaire results might serve as a starting
point for reflection.