More than half of Dutch voters approve of the government’s plans to tighten the rules for asylum seekers even though a majority doubt whether they can be carried out in practice.

A survey of RTL’s voters panel showed most people supported measures such as restricting residency permits to three years, deporting refugees who are convicted of criminal offences faster and declaring parts of Syria “safe zones”.

Support was strongest among voters who backed Geert Wilders’s far-right PVV and the farmers’ party BBB at the election, while those who backed the liberal VVD and constitutional reformist NSC had the biggest doubts about whether the plans could be enacted.

“BBB and PVV voters don’t want to see those difficulties or, from their perspective, they look beyond them. They think: we’ll just change the system,” said RTL’s polling specialist Gijs Rademaker.

The survey of 15,000 voters shows that deporting criminal refugees was the most popular measure, with 89% support, but only 52% believed it was viable.

Nearly two-thirds backed the idea of sending back Syrian asylum seekers, but just 36% thought it could be achieved in practice. Prime minister Dick Schoof has said Syrians will only be returned to areas deemed “safe” by government officials.

Border checks

And 69% were in favour of reinstating border checks temporarily, while 62% saw it as an achievable option.

The survey of 15,000 people also found that PVV voters’ trust in Geert Wilders had slipped since he agreed to scrap his plans to use emergency powers to drive through measures to deal with the so-called asylum crisis.

Support among the PVV’s voter base remained robust at 90%, compared to 95% at the start of September. One panel member commented: “I always rated Geert Wilders highly, but I think giving everything away is a weak move.”

Another said: “He promises everything but delivers nothing – I regret voting for him.”