sociaNew statistics reveal that the personal and social well-being of people in the Netherlands hardly changed last year. The findings come from a new survey by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on social cohesion and well-being in the Netherlands.
In fact, the level of well-being even increased slightly. In 2019, 64.7 per cent of adults in the Netherlands rated their personal well-being as ‘high’. By 2020, this had increased to 66.2 per cent.
Despite the increase in overall personal well-being, for many adults, the level of satisfaction with their social life decreased slightly. 81.7 per cent of people said they are satisfied with their social life compared to 83.1 per cent in 2019. This is likely a result of the social restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Gender and education gaps
The survey found that there are more men with a high level of well-being than women. It also found that the general level of well-being is higher in people aged 35 and younger compared to older age groups.
In addition, the findings highlight a stark contrast between the well-being of people of different education levels. Amongst people with low levels of education, only 55.1 per cent rated their well-being level as high. Yet amongst medium and highly educated groups, this figure rose to 65 per cent and 76.1 per cent respectively.
Trust in institutions
Statistics Netherlands found a dramatic increase in trust in Dutch public institutions. For example, whilst 73.3 per cent of adults had a ‘fairly high’ or ‘high’ level of trust in the police in 2019, this rose to 77.8 per cent in 2020. Trust in the government also rose sharply, from 39.2 per cent to 52.4 per cent.
Source: Statistics Netherlands
Written by: Rachael Vickerman
