Young people will be less happy and satisfied again in 2021

Young people have become less positive about the life they lead during the corona years. They report being happy and content with life much less often than before the pandemic. In 2020 they were already less pleased with their lives and that development continued in 2021. This is reported by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Last year, 81 percent of young people aged 18 to 25 said they are happy, compared to almost 88 percent in 2019. Fewer young people also say they are satisfied with their lives. In 2021, 77 percent indicated this, compared to 86 percent in 2019.

There is also a decrease between 2019 and 2021 when looking at all Dutch people aged 18 and older, but it is less sharp. In 2019, 89 percent said they were happy, which has dropped to over 86 percent. The percentage of satisfied people has fallen from 87 to just under 84 percent.

The researchers also looked at how happiness has changed since 1997, when CBS measured it using the same method for the first time. It then becomes apparent that a quarter of a century ago, young people were the happiest group and that they are now the unhappiest.

For this study, the statisticians asked Dutch adults to rate their happiness and satisfaction. People are considered satisfied or happy if they have given these aspects a 7 or higher.