The votes of slightly over 9,1 million Dutchmen for 2 out of 27 parties turned out different from what the samples of all pre-election surveys had told the researchers. All interest had been focussed on whether the governing coalition would keep or loose its small majority. The nearest any Dutch institute approached the actual vote was 75 out of 150 parliamentary seats. The voters gave the coalition partners 81 seats. Although there had been indications of "hidden strength" of the Christian Democrat coalition partner, only an "electronic" NIPO-survey late on the eve of election day detected clear indications of a last minute-swing toward that party. (It caused joy and rising share prices on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange immediately after its publication very early on May 21st. Several of the "hidden strength"-data will be presented. Finally we discuss some of the problems caused by the increasing effects of television electioneering.
This paper is aimed at giving a description of the research launched in the Netherlands into the systematic measuring of social and cultural changes. Apart from giving a description of this systematic method and the research methods used we will go into the details of some of the results describing the valuation of the personal situation in life in conjunction with the economic trends.
In modern marketing (free) gift campaigns are frequently applied. At the end of 1968 and in the beginning of 1969 a free gift campaign was carried on in The Netherlands for BRIO margarine. This campaign was packaging, sending to the effect that the consumer could save the stamps put on the packing. Sending in the number of stamps fixed per premium entitled to free forwarding of the chosen premium. One could choose from five premiums. A study, conducted a few weeks after the start of this campaign amongst housewives using BRIO, was set up to gain an insight into the number of prospective orders, in total and per premium. The estimates of the prospective orders formed a basis for determining the number of premiums to be bought by the company.
During the past two decades an every year increasing part of the Dutch population went abroad on holiday. To indicate how this overall growth of the market for holidays abroad has developed, we show some figures from representative NIPO sample surveys. The figures indicate in what percent of Dutch families one or more persons went abroad for their holidays in the years indicated. The trend of going abroad is even steeper if analysed in connection with the number of families who take a holiday away from home at all.