Migration in Morocco: History, Current Trends and Future ... - MGSoG

even though the economic position of Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands has
improved, the gap between this group and the native population persists.
On the socio-cultural level it is important to look at social contacts of Moroccans,
their proficiency in the Dutch language, and their feelings of belonging. The Social
Position of and Use of Services by Migrants (SPVA) data shows that in the last few years,
the social contact between Moroccans and the native Dutch has been increasing. Second-
generation Moroccans in particular interact more with the Dutch compared to the elderly,
who probably lack the language proficiency in Dutch (Esveldt et al., 2000). There is also
evidence indicating that new arrivals from Morocco are more prone to learn the Dutch
language. Data from the 1990s indicates that the increase in the use of the Dutch
language at home for the Moroccans has had fundamentally positive effects on overall
language proficiency (Esveldt et al., 2000).
Finally, compared to Surinamese and Antilleans, a larger proportion of Moroccan
migrants identify themselves with their ethnic group rather than with the Dutch society
(Table 1). One can relativize this statement by looking at differences in age, generation,
and educational level, however. It can be argued that younger and better-educated
Moroccans are less likely to identify themselves with their ethnic group, and second-
generation Moroccan migrants are also less prone to identify themselves with their ethnic
group. When interpreting the socio-cultural integration of Moroccan migrants, it is thus
important to consider the heterogeneous character of the group.
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