Some 15% of the Dutch population believe in the far-right conspiracy theory which states “the elite” is deliberately trying to replace the white population with immigrants from other cultures, news agency ANP said on Friday, quoting research by Kieskompas.

In total, almost 15,000 people took part in the online survey, ANP said.

Some 75% of people who voted for the far-right Forum voor Democratie in last year’s general election believe in replacement theory, as do 42% of PVV and 25% of BBB voters.

The survey also showed people living in Zeeland, Friesland and Limburg are most likely to believe that the population is deliberately being replaced.

The survey was carried out at the end of June and early July and was completed by 14,710 people. They were asked to respond to the statement “I think that part of the political elite is deliberately trying to replace the original Dutch population by non-western immigrants.”

Earlier this summer two ministers in the new government, Marjolein Faber and Reinette Klever, were both forced to publicly renounce their use of the term in social media posts and speeches.

Both represent the far-right PVV and are now in charge of immigration and development aid, respectively.

The Dutch security service AIVD and counter-terrorism unit NCTV have also both warned about the dangers believing in replacement theory represents in wider society and the NCTV has called its normalisation a “worrying development”.