Moving the Middle

Reaching the Dutch Movable Middle in the Debate on Migration

To address the prevailing negative narratives and views on migration remains a sensitive subject. Often, the extreme opposites make themselves heard in this debate; those firmly against migration versus those strongly in favour. But what about the individuals in the space between these extremes?

This group is known as the Movable Middle. This can be people who can be in favour of migration but simultaneously feel resistant and hesitant about it, and who tend not to have a strong opinion on the topic.
To contribute to the goal of promoting open and evidence-based public discourse and the SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for all, the ‘Moving the Middle’ project aims to improve our understanding of who belongs to the Movable Middle in the Netherlands and how they can best be reached.

Previous research on the Movable Middle has been conducted in other European countries on their respective population segments. ‘Moving the Middle’ follows a similar research path but focuses on the Netherlands and implements a mixed-methods research approach.

The project runs from 1 February 2022 until 30 April 2024.

Project Goals

Curious about our project findings? Download the Moving the Middle Knowledge Dossier!The project supports the following goals:

To improve social cohesion and enhance positive narratives about migrants.
To create a more inclusive Dutch society by fostering an attitude of openness and inclusion towards migrants in the Netherlands among the Movable Middle.

The project is supported by a Migrant Ambassador Advisory Board (MAAB) to ensure that migrant voices are included. The board consists of five ambassadors who reflect the diverse migrant backgrounds in the Netherlands to provide input and advice in and throughout the project’s activities.

Activities

Conducting a national campaign with as goal to contrite to disseminating a more nuanced narrative on migration amongst the Dutch Movable Middle
Organizing local inter-cultural events to bring different social groups together to reduce prejudices and biases
Conducting research and collecting findings on best practices on communicating with the Dutch Movable Middle on the local and national level to inform further targeted communication efforts
Hosting a final conference to present project findings and bring together relevant stakeholders in the field of migration narratives.

Contact

For more information or relevant queries, please reach out to Sandra Kluivers, Project Assistant at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at +31 6 5111 55 31.