Distribution of well-being
Here we look more in depth at the distribution of well-being as described in chapter 1. Well-being in the Netherlands is not distributed equally among different population groups. There are many differences particularly in terms of migration background and education level. Low-skilled people and people with a migration background, both western and non-western, have a lower level of well-being, while highly educated people and people without a migration background have a higher level of well-being.
From an individual point of view, the same people sometimes accumulate favourable or unfavourable outcomes in terms of well-being. People with a non-western migration background, low-skilled people and 65–74‑year-olds are more likely to accumulate unfavourable outcomes, while positive outcomes will accumulate more for highly educated people and 45–64‑year-olds.
Compared to 2019, the distribution of well-being has remained broadly unchanged. Relative declines have nevertheless been recorded among younger age groups, people aged 75 and over and highly educated people.
Introduction
Chapter 1 presents a picture of well-being in the Netherlands as a whole. Since that picture is largely based on totals and averages for the Dutch population, groups with a relatively higher or lower level of well-being are not visible. The distribution of well-being among population groups is therefore examined. This is done in two parts:
- The Indicators section below describes for 13 indicators, across eight themes, the allocation among groups for each well-being indicator: first the situation in 2021 and then the groups in which the indicator has developed relatively favourably or unfavourably since 2019.
- The Accumulation section examines whether favourable or unfavourable outcomes in well-being indicators accumulate for the same individuals and, if so, in which groups this accumulation occurs most frequently. Here too we look first at the situation in 2021 and then at changes compared to 2019.
Selection of indicators and population groups
This chapter describes the distribution of well-being ‘here and now’ among population groups, as far as possible with data for 2021. The indicators used can be found in the table below. The choice of indicators is based as far as possible on the indicators in the ‘Here and now’ dashboard of the monitor: the eight themes used there can also be found there. See also the Technical explanation.
| Theme ‘here and now’ | Indicator for distribution |
|---|---|
| Well-being | Satisfaction with life |
| Material well-being | Standardised disposable income* |
| Wealth* | |
| Health | Perceived health |
| Labour and leisure time | Net labour participation |
| Satisfaction with work | |
| Satisfaction with leisure time | |
| Housing | Satisfaction with housing |
| Society | Voluntary work |
| Trust in other people | |
| Trust in institutions | |
| Safety | Victims of crime |
| Environment | Experiences pollution in own neighbourhood |
* Figures for 2020 as no 2021 data are available.
Population groups are distinguished in this chapter on the basis of personal characteristics commonly used in the literature: sex, age, education level (low, medium and highnoot1) and migration backgroundnoot2 (Dutch, western, non-western). These are of course not the only characteristics that can determine well-being.
Colour codes and analyses
The monitor uses colours to compare the outcomes of the various indicators. This chapter examines 13 indicators in terms of whether population groups differ from the national average and/or whether there are differences between men and women.
For indicators based on surveys, a check has been made of whether the deviation is statistically significant (p<0.05). The indicators for material well-being (income and assets) are based on comprehensive data: the criterion is a deviation from the average of more than 5 percent.
| The meanings of the colours are as follows: |
|---|
| Green |
| The relevant population group has higher-than-average well-being in this area. |
| Grey |
| The relevant population group shows no significant deviation from the average. |
| Red |
| The relevant population group has lower-than-average well-being in this area. |
The colour codes only serve as signals and emphatically do not imply any normative interpretation. The monitor indicates how different population groups in the Netherlands actually stand in relation to the various aspects of well-being and whether their well-being differs from the average. It is the task of political decision-makers and policy-makers to consider actions and draw policy conclusions based on this information.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background may be connected. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This can be taken into account through standardisation, and therefore standardised figures have also been determined for the 13 indicators. If statistically significant differences based on those standardised figures differ from those based on the original analysis, this is stated in the text.
For each indicator we also look at groups that have developed relatively favourably or unfavourably since 2019. The development of a group is compared to the development of the overall figure, and statistically significant differencesnoot3 are stated in the text.
The analysis of the accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes looks at individuals to see whether this accumulation is present. This is done on the basis of nine indicators divided across six themes. The number of favourable and unfavourable outcomes for those indicators is determined per person. The group of people with a favourable well-being outcome for seven or more indicators appears at the top of the distribution. The group of people with at least three unfavourable outcomes appears at the bottom of the distribution. We then examine which groups – by sex, age, education level and migration background – have a high or low accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes.
Summary overview
The analyses of the distribution of well-being show both the situation in 2021 (for material well-being in 2020) and the development since 2019 for population groups by sex, age, education level and migration background for 13 indicators. This also shows whether individuals have an accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes and what the characteristics of those individuals are.
Indicators: situation in 2021
On the basis of the 13 selected indicators we see that well-being is closely associated with migration background and education level, but we also see smaller differences in terms of age and sex.
- Sex. Most indicators show no difference between men and women. In three indicators the situation for men is more favourable than for women, and in one indicator the opposite is true.
- Age. Age groups from 45 to 74 quite often fare well compared to the average. The younger age groups up to 35 show a relatively large number of unfavourable outcomes.
- Education level. There are major differences in terms of education level. In the case of low and medium-skilled people we see few positive outcomes. Low-skilled people often have unfavourable outcomes (nine times). Highly educated people turn out above average in 10 out of the 13 indicators.
- Migration background. The biggest differences in well-being can be seen among the different origin groups. The group with a non-western migration background is below the average for all 13 indicators. The group with a western migration background also shows a less favourable picture, with eight indicators below the average and not a single one above the average. By contrast, the group without a migration background has a positive score for an 12 indicators.
The above conclusions still stand if the figures for the 13 indicators are standardised to take into account the relationship between sex, age, education level and migration background. A number of shifts are nevertheless occurring. For example, the picture for the group aged 15 (or 18) to 25 is somewhat more positive. The picture for low-skilled people is slightly more negative. The picture based on standardised figures by sex and migration background has changed little if at all. Standardisation was possible for 12 of the 13 indicators; for wealth it was not possible.
Indicators: changes between 2019 and 2021
Looking at the population as a whole, the 13 indicators have changed since 2019. For each indicator an assessment was done for each population group to determine whether the change for that group is more favourable or unfavourable than the average change for the population as a whole. In most cases that was not the case, but on one occasion there were divergent developments:
- Sex. There were no different developments for men and women.
- Age. In the groups up to 34 the development was relatively unfavourable in several cases. In the age groups from 35 to 74 there were a number of relatively favourable and unfavourable developments. In the group aged 75 and over relatively unfavourable developments predominated.
- Education level. For each of the education levels the number of relatively favourable and relatively unfavourable developments, and all the cases with no divergent developments, were roughly in balance.
- Migration background. In the group with a non-western migration background there were two relatively unfavourable developments compared to a single relatively positive development. The position of this group, which was already faring poorly in terms of well-being, has therefore deteriorated further since 2019.
Even if there is no significant relatively favourable/unfavourable development, a figure may have changed since 2019. This applies both to the total figures and the figures per group. The precise figures, per research year, per indicator and per population group, can be found in the Distribution Data Table.
Indicators: overview
The figure below provides a single overview of the distribution of well-being in 2021 (2020 for income and wealth) and the relative developments since 2019. For each indicator the dots show where a population group has significantly higher (green) or lower (red) well-being than the national average. A grey dot means that there is no difference as compared to the average. The diamonds show whether a population group’s score for an indicator has developed more favourably (green) or unfavourably (red) than the national average since 2019.
Sex
Age
Education level
Migration background
Accumulation: situation in 2021
The accumulation analysis looks individually at how favourable and unfavourable outcomes, from the perspective of well-being, accumulated among the same people and what the characteristics of those persons are. Nine indicators are included.
The top end of the distribution – the group that has favourable well-being for seven or more indicators – consists of 25.7 percent of the adult population. The bottom end – people with three or more unfavourable outcomes – comprises 18.2 percent of the population. In the subpopulations we see the following differences:
- Sex. There is a limited difference between men and women in the accumulation of favourable outcomes. Men are slightly more often at the top end of the distribution.
- Age. People aged 45 to 64 are relatively likely to be at the top of the distribution. That is slightly less often the case among people aged 65 and over. It is 65–74‑year-olds who most often experience an accumulation of unfavourable outcomes.
- Education level. Major differences can be seen here. Accumulations of unfavourable outcomes are very common among low-skilled people: 31.9 percent. Accumulations of favourable outcomes are very common among highly educated people: 38.9 percent.
- Migration background. Here too there are differences, with accumulations of unfavourable outcomes occurring relatively frequently (33.4 percent) among people with a non-western migration background and accumulations of favourable outcomes being most evident among people without a migration background.
If we take the correlations between sex, age, education level and migration background into account, education level turns out to have the greatest influence on the number of indicators for which people have a favourable or unfavourable outcome. Next come migration background and age. Migration background is somewhat more closely associated with the number of unfavourable indicators and age with the number of favourable indicators. Sex is the least important.
Sex
Age
Highest completed level of education
Migration background
Accumulation: developments compared to 2019
Compared to 2019 the group at the top of the distribution has grown larger and the group at the bottom has become smaller. If we look at the various population groups, it is notable that the number of young people (aged up to 45) at the top of the distribution has decreased. In the case of 45–74‑year-olds, this proportion has increased relatively strongly. In terms of education level a relatively unfavourable development can be seen among highly educated people, but since this group had a good starting position, an accumulation of favourable outcomes is relatively common again in 2021. It is notable that in 2021 a larger share of the group with a non-western migration background moved to the middle of the distribution. In this group significantly fewer people were at the top or the bottom of the distribution in 2021.
Indicators
Well-being
Subjective well-being – how contented the population is – is an important aspect of well-being, because it is closely interwoven with quality of life.noot4 Information on people’s feeling of well-being provides an understanding of how they value their own lives, independently of objective measures such as income level or position in the labour market.
In the 2013–2019 period an average 88 percent of people aged 18 and over were happy and 85 percent were satisfied with life.noot5 The proportion who were unhappy or dissatisfied with life averaged 3 percent. For more information on the well-being of the Dutch population, see StatLine.noot6
Satisfaction with life
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 83.6 percent of adults in the Netherlands said they were satisfied with their lives, 13.0 percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and a relatively small group of 3.3 percent said they were dissatisfied with life.noot7
- The youngest group is less likely to be satisfied with life than the Dutch population as a whole. By contrast, the proportion of 55–74‑year-olds who are satisfied with life is higher than average.
- Low-skilled people are less likely than average to be satisfied with life, while highly educated people are more likely than average to feel so.
- People with a native Dutch background are more often satisfied with their lives than average, while people with a non-western migration background are less often satisfied than average.
Sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardisation, which corrects for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on satisfaction with life, the above findings remain largely intact, however:
- If a correction is applied for the unequal composition by sex, education level and migration background in the 25–34‑year-old age group relative to other age groups, they turn out to be less satisfied with their lives than average. The difference in the non-standardised figures is therefore related to the specific composition of the group aged 25 to 34 based on the above characteristics.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total proportion of people saying they are satisfied with their lives was 3.7 percentage points lower in 2021 than in 2019. Compared to that change for the population as a whole, the following group shows a different development:
- 18–24‑year-olds: this group shows a relatively unfavourable development since 2019. In 2021 the share of those satisfied with life in this group was more than 9 percentage points lower than in 2019.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 83,6 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 83,3 |
| Women | 84 |
| Age | . |
| younger than 25 | 76,9 |
| 25-34 | 81,9 |
| 35-44 | 84,5 |
| 45-54 | 82,7 |
| 55-64 | 86,4 |
| 65-74 | 87,2 |
| 75 and older | 84,5 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 80,1 |
| Medium | 83,4 |
| High | 86,1 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 84,9 |
| Western background | 84,1 |
| Non-western background | 75,4 |
Material well-being
A person’s financial situation is important for many aspects of his or her life. A higher level of prosperity provides more opportunities and choices, for example in terms of housing, social activities and health. A good financial position also ensures greater security. The median standardised disposable income and median wealth are used here as indicators of material well-being.noot8 Standardised disposable income is a good measure for comparing levels of households’ prosperity, because it has been adjusted for differences in the size and composition of households.
But material well-being is about more than just income. It is also determined by household spending and whether or not the household has access to capital buffers. The material well-being of individuals and households is determined by the interplay of transactions in income, spending and wealth. Households use their disposable income to pay for their expenditure. If they do not spend all their income, they can save and increase their wealth; if they cannot pay for everything with their income, they have to reduce their savings and their wealth decreases.
The CBS reports on poverty and exclusionnoot9 and material well-beingnoot10 provide more detailed information on the financial position of households in the Netherlands.
Standardised disposable income
Situation in 2020
In 2020, the median household income in the Netherlands was €28,600. Average income was higher, at €32,400. The arithmetic average is higher than the median because incomes at the top of the range pull the average up. In order to limit the influence of those high incomes, the median income is used in all the descriptions below.
- The level of household income depends partly on the age of the main breadwinner. Younger households generally have less disposable income, as the adults are still at the beginning of their careers. The median income in the group aged under 25 is well below average. Median incomes subsequently rise with age. Households with a main breadwinner aged 35 to 64 have a higher-than-average disposable income. Once people retire, their income declines somewhat: households aged 75 and over have less than average to spend.
- Education level is also clearly related to income. The more highly educated the main breadwinner is, the higher is the median income.
- The median income of households with a non-western main breadwinner is relatively low and main breadwinners with a western migration background also have less than average at their disposal. Households with a native Dutch background have the highest disposable income.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in every age group. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, which corrects for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures for median income most of the outcomes described above remain true, however: if we correct for the different composition by age, sex and education level, the median income of the group with a native-Dutch background rises to well above average. For the group with a western migration background, it no longer deviates substantially from the average.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The median income for the population in 2020 was 2.5 percent higher than in 2019.noot11 In no group (by age, education level or migration background) was the development of the median from 2019 to 2020 substantially different from that of the population as a whole.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 28600 |
| Age | . |
| younger than 25 | 12000 |
| 25-34 | 28700 |
| 35-44 | 30400 |
| 45-54 | 32800 |
| 55-64 | 32900 |
| 65-74 | 27200 |
| 75 and older | 22900 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 22000 |
| Medium | 27900 |
| High | 36500 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 30000 |
| Western background | 26500 |
| Non-western background | 21100 |
Wealth
Wealth is the net balance of assets and liabilities.noot12 On 1 January 2020, the combined wealth of the 7.9 million Dutch households amounted to €1,830 billion, comprising €2,696 billion of total assets and €866 billion of total debts. Dutch households’ average wealth amounted to €64,600, €11,600 more than in the previous yearnoot13, mainly due to the steady rise in house prices. Rises and falls in house prices have a major impact on household wealth. Nearly six out of 10 households owned their own home in 2020. The home was their largest asset, making up 57 percent of their wealth. Next came bank deposits and savings and substantial interests in companies. Mortgage debt was the largest debt item. Since 2019 wealth has moved back above the level of 2008, the year that marked the start of the financial crisis.
Situation in 2020
- The older, the wealthier. Young people at the start of their working lives earn relatively little, can put little money aside and often take on a substantial debt burden when they buy a home. Starting a family brings additional costs and makes it more difficult to accrue wealth. The youngest households had not therefore accumulated any wealth at the beginning of 2020. As the main breadwinner grows older, their financial position also improves appreciably. More work experience and better-paid jobs lead to higher labour income and inheritances also contribute to further asset accumulation over a lifetime. At the same time, a growing proportion of mortgage debt is often repaid. The income of older households decreases when the retirement age is reached, but they often own their own home and have often almost repaid their mortgage debt. The group aged 75 and over was less wealthy than the previous age group: supplementary pensions are considerably lower among 65–74‑year-olds and home ownership is also lower.
- In 2020, households with a low-skilled main breadwinner had relatively little wealth on average, while households with a highly educated main breadwinner had a lot of wealth.
- Households with a native Dutch main breadwinner had above-average wealth. In households with a main breadwinner with a migration background, the amount is considerably lower.
The characteristics of sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. As it was not possible to standardise the figures on median wealth, we cannot state whether the outcomes described above still hold after standardisation.
Average wealth also rises as disposable income rises: from €700 in the first income decile group to €342,500 in the tenth and highest income group. Of the total wealth of Dutch households, the lowest income group held 4 percent, while the highest income group held 36 percent.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The median wealth – based on the average of the population – was 22 percent higher in 2020 than in 2019. Compared to that change in the figure for the population as a whole, the following groups show different developments:
- The median assets of households with a main breadwinner aged 35 to 44 developed relatively favourably, with a rise of 36 percent. Households with a main breadwinner aged 45 or over saw their median income increase by less than the average. In the case of these older households there was nevertheless an overall increase.
- The median wealth of households with a low-skilled or highly educated breadwinner grew by less than average.
- The median wealth of households with a main breadwinner without a migration background and households whose breadwinner had a western migration background grew by less than average.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 64600 |
| Age | . |
| younger than 25 | 0 |
| 25-34 | 8900 |
| 35-44 | 48000 |
| 45-54 | 94300 |
| 55-64 | 145500 |
| 65-74 | 177300 |
| 75 and older | 130600 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 18400 |
| Medium | 59500 |
| High | 140700 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 98500 |
| Western background | 20600 |
| Non-western background | 1300 |
Health
People’s well-being is closely associated with their health: poor health is often linked to lower well-being and can cause problems with work, social life and housing, for example.noot14 Self-perceived health is used here as an indicator of health. Further information on the health of the Dutch population can be found on StatLine.noot15
Self-perceived health
Situation in 2021
People’s perception of their own health is a good indicator of the general state of health. Specifically, it is the percentage of people who evaluate their own health as good or very good. In 2021, 80.5 percent of the Dutch population reported their own health was being good or very good.
- Relatively more men than women have good or very good self-perceived health. There are also more women than men with chronic illnesses, such as physical disabilities and pain-related limitations.noot16
- The percentage of people who perceive their own health as good or very good decreases with age. Up to and including the 25–34 age category, people are more likely than average to judge their health positively, while people in the 45‑and-over age groups are less likely to do so. Elderly people are also more likely to have health problems, such as chronic illnesses, physical impairments and pain-related limitations.noot17
- Highly educated peoplenoot18 are more likely than average to report being in good or very good health. Low-skilled people are substantially below the average.
- People with a native Dutch background are more often positive about their own health, whereas people with a non-western migration background are less positive than average.
The characteristics of sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. People with a lower education level, for example, are on average older than those who are highly educated. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures the difference in self-perceived health between highly educated and low-skilled people is smaller. But also on the basis of these figures the self-perceived health of low-skilled people is relatively low and that of highly educated people is relatively high. The other statistically significant differences between groups described above also remain after standardisation.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
In 2021 the proportion of people describing their own health as good or very good was 1.8 percentage points higher than in 2019. Compared to that development for the population as a whole, the following groups show different developments:
- For persons aged 15 to 34 the development was more unfavourable. In these groups the percentage with good or very good self-perceived health even fell. In the case of people aged 75 and over self-perceived health developed relatively well, with an increase of almost 8 percentage points.noot19
- The self-perceived health of low-skilled people developed relatively favourably, with an increase of 4.5 percentage points. In the case of highly educated people the development was relatively unfavourable, with a decline of 1 percentage point.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 80,5 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 82,2 |
| Women | 78,8 |
| Age | . |
| younger than 15 | 97 |
| 15-24 | 85,9 |
| 25-34 | 84,7 |
| 35-44 | 81,6 |
| 45-54 | 77,9 |
| 55-64 | 73 |
| 65-74 | 70,8 |
| 75 and older | 62,9 |
| Level of education | . |
| Low | 67,8 |
| Medium | 80,2 |
| High | 86,6 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 81,5 |
| Western background | 78 |
| Non-western background | 77,1 |
Labour and leisure time
Work is important to people, because it allows them to earn an income and play a part in society. In addition to paid work, working conditions and the work-life balance are also important. This theme covers net labour participation and satisfaction with work, together with satisfaction with the amount of leisure time. The CBS report on the labour market contains further information on the labour market situation of the Dutch populationnoot20 and SDG 8.2.
Net labour participation
Net labour participation is the share of the employed labour force – people in paid employment – in the population. The data on net labour participation relate to the population aged 15 to 74.
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 70.4 percent of the population aged 15 to 74 were in paid employment. This concerns work irrespective of working hours, i.e. including part-time jobs.
- In 2021 the net labour participation rate of men was higher than that of women.
- Net labour participation was highest among 25–54‑year-olds. Among young people aged 15 to 24 and 55 to 64 the figure was somewhat lower, but still above average. The bulk of those aged 65 to 75 have retired.
- Net labour participation was higher than average among medium-skilled and highly educated people. Low-skilled people had lower than average participation.
- People with a native Dutch background had higher than average net labour participation. For people with a migration background, net labour participation was below average. This applied more to people with a non-western migration background than to people with a western migration background.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures the same groups differ from the national average in the same direction.
Changes between 2019 and 2021noot21
Despite a decrease at the start of the coronavirus crisis, net labour participation rose from 70.0 percent to 70.4 percent between 2019 and 2021. Compared to that development for the population as a whole, the following groups show different developments:
- In the case of people aged 15 to 24 the development was relatively unfavourable, with net labour participation in 2021 slightly lower than in 2019.
- Among highly educated people, labour participation during this period increased relatively strongly. By contrast, the labour participation of lownoot22 and medium-skilled people in 2021 was even lower than in 2019.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 70,4 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 74,3 |
| Women | 66,5 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24* | 71,7 |
| 25-34* | 87,1 |
| 35-44* | 85,6 |
| 45-54* | 85,1 |
| 55-64* | 71,4 |
| 65-74* | 14,4 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 52,8 |
| Medium | 72,9 |
| High | 80,9 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background* | 72,1 |
| Western background* | 68,6 |
| Non-western background* | 63,2 |
| * relative change cannot be calculated due to survey redesign | |
Satisfaction with work
Situation in 2021
According to the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA) conducted by CBS and TNO, 79.0 percent of all employeesnoot23 aged between 15 and 74 were satisfied with their work in 2021.
- Job satisfaction of employees aged 25 to 34 was somewhat lower than average. Employees aged between 45 and 54, 55 to 64 and particularly those aged 65 to 74 were more likely to be satisfied than average.
- Highly educated employees reported above-average job satisfaction. Low and medium-skilled employees were below the average.
- Employees with a native Dutch background were more likely than average to be satisfied with their work. Employees with a western or non-western migration background were less likely than average to be so.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures. On the basis of the standardised figures the conclusions described above on differences between groups all remain unchanged.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
In general more employees were satisfied with their work in 2021 (79.0 percent) than in 2019 (77.9 percent). Compared to that development for the population as a whole, the following groups show different developments:
- Employees aged 25 to 34 reported a slight decrease in job satisfaction during this period. In the case of those aged 55 to 64 and 65 to 74, satisfaction with work increased by more than average between 2019 and 2021.
- The increase in satisfaction with work was also relatively strong among people with a western migration background. By contrast, it was slightly less strong than average among people with a native Dutch background.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 79 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 78,9 |
| Women | 79 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24 | 78,2 |
| 25-34 | 75,2 |
| 35-44 | 79,1 |
| 45-54 | 80,4 |
| 55-64 | 80,6 |
| 65-74 | 88,4 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 76,7 |
| Medium | 78,3 |
| High | 81 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 80,6 |
| Western background | 75,3 |
| Non-western background | 71,6 |
Satisfaction with leisure time
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 76.1 percent of adults in the Netherlands were satisfied with the amount of leisure time they had, while 7.3 percent were dissatisfied and 16.6 percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
- People of different ages have differing opinions on the amount of leisure time they have. People aged 18 to 54 are less likely than average to be satisfied with the amount of leisure time, while people aged 65 and over are more likely than average to be satisfied, particularly in the case of those aged 65 to 74.
- Low-skilled people are more satisfied than average with the amount of leisure time, while highly educated people are less satisfied than average. This difference is related to differences in age and working hours: on average, highly educated people are younger and work longer hours.
- People with a native Dutch background are more satisfied than average with the amount of leisure time available, whereas people with a non-western migration background are less satisfied than average.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on satisfaction with leisure time the findings described above for age groups and groups with a different migration background still stand, however:
- If a correction is applied to the low-skilled and highly educated groups for the different compositions by sex, age and migration background, satisfaction with leisure time no longer differs from the average. In the case of highly educated people, another factor is that they include a relatively large number of younger people, who are relatively dissatisfied with the amount of leisure time. The low-skilled people include a relatively large number of elderly people, who are relatively satisfied with the amount of leisure time. The differences in satisfaction with leisure time appear to correlate more closely with age than with education level.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total share of people saying they are satisfied with their amount of leisure time is 1.9 percentage points higher in 2021 than in 2019. Compared to that change for the population as a whole, the following groups show a different development:
- 45–54‑year-olds: in this group satisfaction with the amount of leisure time has developed relatively favourably since 2019, with an increase of over 5 percentage points.
- People aged 75 or over: in this group satisfaction with the amount of leisure time has developed unfavourably since 2019, with a decrease of almost 3 percentage points.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 76,1 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 75,9 |
| Women | 76,4 |
| Age | . |
| 18-24 | 69,9 |
| 25-34 | 68,6 |
| 35-44 | 67 |
| 45-54 | 72,4 |
| 55-64 | 77,3 |
| 65-74 | 93,6 |
| 75 and older | 89,1 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 81,1 |
| Medium | 75,7 |
| High | 74,1 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 77,9 |
| Western background | 76,8 |
| Non-western background | 64,6 |
Housing
How people live is important for their quality of life. It includes aspects such as social cohesion in the neighbourhood, neighbourhood facilities and the characteristics of the home itself. Since this satisfaction is positively correlated with well-being, we look here at how satisfied people are with their home.noot24
Satisfaction with the home
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 85.6 percent of adults were satisfied with their home, while 5.3 percent were dissatisfied and 9.1 percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Tenants are less likely to be satisfied with their home than homeowners.noot25
- Adults aged up to 45 are less likely than average to be satisfied, with the lowest share found among those aged between 25 and 34. People aged 55 and over were more likely than average to be happy with their home.
- People with a native Dutch background are more likely than average to be satisfied with their home. People with a migration background, whether western or non-western, are less likely than average to be satisfied.
The characteristics of sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on satisfaction with the home, the above findings still stand, however:
- If a correction is applied to the groups of low-skilled and highly educated people for the different compositions in terms of sex, age and migration background, these groups differ from the average: low-skilled people are less likely than average to be satisfied with their home, while highly educated people are more likely than average to be so. On the basis of the unadjusted figures these groups do not differ from the average because lower skilled people are on average older and higher skilled people on average younger.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total number of people saying they are satisfied with their home in 2021 was 1.9 percentage points lower than in 2019. No population group differs substantially from that trend in the overall figure.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 85,6 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 85,3 |
| Women | 86 |
| Age | . |
| 18-24 | 80,8 |
| 25-34 | 75,6 |
| 35-44 | 81,8 |
| 45-54 | 86,6 |
| 55-64 | 90,8 |
| 65-74 | 92,4 |
| 75 and older | 92,4 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 86,4 |
| Medium | 85,7 |
| High | 85,7 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 88 |
| Western background | 82,5 |
| Non-western background | 73,3 |
Society
The theme of society comprises indicators in the areas of participation and trust, both pillars of social cohesion. Trust is important for people individually, but also for society as a whole. For the individual, trust contributes to higher well-being, because it is more pleasant to be surrounded by people and institutions that one trusts.noot26 In society, trust often means that people are more inclined to cooperate and help others.noot27
Voluntary work
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 38.9 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 and over said they had done voluntary work at least once for an organisation, club or association during the previous year. As in previous years, most voluntary work is done with sports clubs, schools, care establishments, youth clubs and the church.noot28
- People aged 25 to 34 and those aged 75 and over do less voluntary work than average. People aged between 35 and 54 and between 65 and 74 do more than average.
- Highly educated people do more voluntary work than average, whereas low-skilled people do so less than average.
- People with a native Dutch background are more likely to do voluntary work, while people with a migration background are less likely than average to do so.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures for voluntary work, the above findings remain largely unchanged, however:
- If a correction is applied to the group aged 15 to 24 for the different composition by sex, education level and migration background compared to the other age groups, this group does more voluntary work than average. This difference is not visible in the uncorrected figures because the group aged 15 to 24 includes a relatively large number of people with a low education level (because they have not yet completed their education) and people with a non-western migration background. Relatively few people in these groups do voluntary work.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total share of people saying they did voluntary work in 2021 was 7.8 percentage points lower than in 2019. This decrease may be at least partly due to coronavirus and the related containment measures. Compared to that change in the figures for the population as a whole, no single group has developed substantially differently.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 38,9 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 38,8 |
| Women | 39 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24 | 38,1 |
| 25-34 | 30,8 |
| 35-44 | 44,5 |
| 45-54 | 44,6 |
| 55-64 | 39,2 |
| 65-74 | 43,6 |
| 75 and older | 27,3 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 26,8 |
| Medium | 39 |
| High | 48,9 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 41,5 |
| Western background | 32,7 |
| Non-western background | 28,8 |
Trust in other people
Situation in 2021
Around two-thirds of the Dutch population aged 15 and over in 2021 trusted others, while the remainder believed one could never be too cautious in dealings with other people.
- Men are more likely than women to trust other people.
- Of the various age categories, people aged 75 and over trust other people less than average, while people aged 25 to 44 are more likely than average to trust others.
- Highly educated people are more likely than average to trust others. By contrast, medium-skilled people and particularly low-skilled people are below average in terms of trust.
- A relatively high proportion of people with a native Dutch background are likely to trust other people, whereas people with a non-western migration background are less likely to do so.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each opther. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on trust in other people, the picture described above changes for the following groups:
- Correction for the different composition by sex, education level and migration background in each age group shows that those aged 15 to 24 are more likely than average to trust other people. This difference is not visible in the uncorrected figures because the group aged 15 to 24 includes a relatively large number of people with a low education level (because they have not yet completed their education) and people with a non-western migration background; groups with relatively low trust in others. On the basis of corrected figures, people aged 25 to 44 place more trust in other people than average: this age group has a relatively large number of highly educated people, who place a lot of trust in others.
- If the composition of people with a western migration background is analysed by sex, age and education level, it can be seen that – like people with a non-western migration background – they are less likely than average to trust other people. This difference is not visible in the uncorrected figures because the group of people with a western migration background includes a relatively large number of 35–44‑year-olds and highly educated people, groups in which people have above-average trust in others.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total share of people saying they trust other people is 4.5 percentage points higher in 2021 than in 2019. Compared to that change for the population as a whole, no single group has developed substantially differently.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 66,3 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 68,5 |
| Women | 64,1 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24 | 66,9 |
| 25-34 | 69,8 |
| 35-44 | 70 |
| 45-54 | 68,6 |
| 55-64 | 66,1 |
| 65-74 | 63,4 |
| 75 and older | 55,4 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 48,6 |
| Medium | 62,9 |
| High | 83 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 69,2 |
| Western background | 63 |
| Non-western background | 51,2 |
Trust in institutions
Situation in 2021
This refers to how many people trust the police, the courts and the House of Representatives. On average, 66.9 percent of people aged 15 and over trusted these three institutions in 2021. This is not the percentage of people who trust all three institutions, but the average over the three institutions. Trust in the police and the courts was highest at 79 percent. Trust in the House of Representatives was markedly lower at 42 percent. Further information on trust in institutions can be found on StatLine.noot29
- Older people place less trust in institutions than younger people: in the age groups from 55 and older trust in institutions was below average. 15–24‑year-olds and 45–54‑year-olds trusted institutions more than average.
- Highly educated people are more likely than average to trust institutions. Medium-skilled and low-skilled people are less likely to trust them.
- People with a non-western migration background place less trust than average in institutions. People without a migration background trust them more than average.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on trust in institutions the relationships change with age as follows:
- Correction for the different composition by sex, education level and migration background in each age group shows that trust in institutions among those aged 45 to 54 is no longer above average and among those aged 55 to 64 and 75 and older no longer below average. Particularly in the case of those aged 75 and older, another factor is that they include a relatively large number of low-skilled people, so trust in institutions is lower in the uncorrected figures.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total number of people placing trust in institutions in 2021 was 3.8 percentage points higher than in 2019. Compared to that change in the figure for the population as a whole, the following groups show different developments:
- The groups aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 developed less favourably. Trust in institutions among these groups barely changed, while trust in institutions increased on average.
- 45–54 year-olds: in this group trust in institutions developed relatively favourably, with an increase of almost 8 percentage points.
- Low-skilled people: this group developed relatively favourably, with trust increasing by almost 7 percentage points.
- Highly educated people: this group had a relatively smaller increase than the national average, with an increase in trust of 1 percentage point.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 66,9 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 66,3 |
| Women | 67,4 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24 | 73,2 |
| 25-34 | 68,3 |
| 35-44 | 68,7 |
| 45-54 | 69,7 |
| 55-64 | 64,5 |
| 65-74 | 59,6 |
| 75 and older | 61,7 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 60 |
| Medium | 63,4 |
| High | 75,3 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 67,6 |
| Western background | 64,6 |
| Non-western background | 64 |
Safety
Safety and feelings of safety play a role in well-being. Victims of crime can suffer financial or emotional damage – as well as physical harm – which can have a negative impact on their quality of life.noot30 For further information on crime, the consequences of crime and the perception of safety in the Dutch population, see the Safety monitor of CBS.noot31
Victims of crime
Situation in 2021
In 2021, 17.1 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 and over said that they had been a victim of crime during the preceding 12 months. This included violent crimes, crimes against property and vandalism. Property crimes were the most common (9.0 percent), while vandalism (6.0 percent) and violence (5.2 percent) occurred less frequently. The indicator does not include cybercrime.
- Men are slightly more frequently victims of crime than women.
- The crime victim rate decreases with age. The percentage of people in the age categories up to 54 who had been victims of crime was higher than average, while in the 55‑and-older age categories the percentage was below average. The highest crime victim rate was reported in the 15–24 and 25–34 age categories and the lowest rate was among those aged 75 and older.
- The crime victim rate was higher than average among highly educated people and lower among medium- and low-skilled people.
- A lower than average percentage of people with a native Dutch background reported having been victims of crime. People with a migration background, whether western or non-western, were relatively likely to be victims of crime.
The characteristics of sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on victims of crime the above findings remain unchanged.
The high percentage of victims among people with a non-western migration background is nevertheless somewhat lower after standardisation. This group includes a relatively large number of young people and young people are more likely to be victims of crime. But even on the basis of the standardised figures people with a non-western migration background are still more likely than average to be victims of crime.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total proportion of people saying they have been victim of crime is 3.7 percentage points lower in 2021 than in 2019.noot32 Compared to that change in the figure for the population as a whole, the following groups show different development:
- The percentage of those aged 75 and older who were victims of crime fell less, by 2.5 percentage points. It should be noted, however, that the number of victims of crime in this group was already relatively low.
- Education level: the decrease in the number of victims was relatively smaller among low-skilled people: 1.2 percentage points. In the case of medium-skilled and highly educated people, the development was relatively favourable, with decreases of 4.7 and 5.7 percentage points.
- Non-western migration background: in this group, already relatively likely to be victims of crime in 2019, the decrease of 1.6 percentage points was relatively small.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 17,1 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 17,9 |
| Women | 16,4 |
| Age | . |
| 15-24 | 23,7 |
| 25-34 | 22,6 |
| 35-44 | 18,8 |
| 45-54 | 17,8 |
| 55-64 | 14,5 |
| 65-74 | 10,4 |
| 75 and older | 8,6 |
| Highest completed level of education | . |
| Low | 15,2 |
| Medium | 16,7 |
| High | 19 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 15,9 |
| Western background | 19,1 |
| Non-western background | 22,4 |
The environment
Environmental pollution in a person’s immediate surroundings can cause health problems and have a negative effect on quality of life.noot33 In 2017, over half of adults in the Netherlands said they found the air, soil and water to be heavily polluted. Moreover, 85 percent said they were worried about the environment and more than half of these said they were concerned about the environment in their local area.noot34 The experience of nuisance from pollution in the living environment is used here as an indicator.
Nuisance from environmental problems in the living environment
Situation in 2021
In 2021noot35, 15.9 percent of the Dutch population reported experiencing nuisance from pollution in their living environment. This specifically concerned pollution or other environmental problems, such as smoke, dust, odours or polluted water.
- A smaller than average proportion of young people aged up to 14 reported nuisance from pollution. The same was true of people aged 75 and older. By contrast, people aged 55 to 74 were somewhat more likely than average to suffer nuisance from pollution.
- Medium-skilled peoplenoot36 were more likely than average to report nuisance from pollution, whereas highly-educated people were less likely than average to do so.
- A below-average proportion of people with a native Dutch background reported experiencing nuisance from environmental pollution in their living environment. People with a migration background (western or non-western) experienced pollution relatively often.
The characteristics sex, age, education level and migration background correlate with each other. The percentage of highly educated people, for example, is not the same in all age groups. This is taken into account by standardising the figures, correcting for the variation in the occurrence of the above characteristics. On the basis of standardised figures on nuisance caused by environmental problems in the living environment, the above findings remain largely unchanged, however:
- In the group aged 15 to 24 a small shift occurs: on the basis of standardised figures this group is impacted slightly less than average by environmental pollution in the living environment.
- In the group of highly educated people there is also a small change if account is taken of the composition by sex, age and migration background. On the basis of the standardised figures that group no longer differs from the average.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
The total share of people saying they experience nuisance from pollution is 0.9 percentage points higher in 2021 than in 2019. Compared to that change for the population as a whole, the following groups show a different development:
- 15–24‑year-olds: this group has developed relatively unfavourably since 2019, with an increase in the reported environmental nuisance of 2.6 percentage points.
- People without a migration background: this group has developed relatively favourably since 2019, with a smaller than average increase of 0.6 percentage points in perceived environmental nuisance.
- People with a non-western migration background: this group has developed relatively unfavourably since 2019: they were 2.8 percentage points more likely to report nuisance due to environmental problems in the living environment.
| Situation in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Total | 15,9 |
| Sex | . |
| Men | 15,8 |
| Women | 16,1 |
| Age | . |
| younger than 15 | 13,9 |
| 15-24 | 15 |
| 25-34 | 16,6 |
| 35-44 | 15,1 |
| 45-54 | 16,8 |
| 55-64 | 19,3 |
| 65-74 | 17,3 |
| 75 and older | 12,2 |
| Level of education | . |
| Low | 15,8 |
| Medium | 16,8 |
| High | 15,4 |
| Migration background | . |
| Native Dutch background | 14,9 |
| Western background | 17,9 |
| Non-western background | 20,1 |
Accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes
In the previous sections we examined how the well-being ‘here and now’ of different population groups differs from that of the total population for individual indicators. The fact that a population group scores below average for an indicator does not mean that all the people in that group have a low score for that indicator. For example, an average of 84 percent of people are satisfied with life, whereas the figure is 80 percent for low-educated people. Although this is lower than average, most low-educated people are satisfied.
In addition, not all people scoring below average for one of those indicators also do so for other indicators where their group on average scores less than the total. It is possible, however, that favourable or unfavourable outcomes for individual indicators will occur more frequently among the same people. This raises the question of whether favourable or unfavourable outcomes are evenly distributed across everyone in a population group, or whether the same people always score above and below average. In the latter case there is an accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes. The accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes is illustrated by examining a selection of indicators of well-being ‘here and now’. If favourable or unfavourable outcomes accumulate in particular groups, we look at the extent to which this occurs and the characteristics of the people where these outcomes accumulate.
The data on how many favourable and unfavourable outcomes accumulate at the individual level are based on the CBS Social Cohesion & Well-being study, together with figures from the Integrated Income and Wealth Statistics. For each person, it is determined how he or she ‘scores’ for various indicators of well-being. The selected indicators fall under the eight original well-being ‘here and now’ themes.
The basic principle is to incorporate one indicator for each of the eight themes. In practice that was done successfully for six of the eight themes, and for the themes ‘material well-being’ and ‘society’ two indicators were included in consultation with subject experts. The theme ‘labour and leisure time’ concerns two subjects and is also described with two indicators. In total there are then nine indicators. These are shown in the table below, which also shows when an outcome is considered to be favourable or unfavourable. The set of indicators is not entirely comparable with the description of accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes in previous editions of this monitor. For comparison purposes, some analyses have nevertheless been repeated for the reference year 2019. More detailed information can be found in the Technical explanation.
| Theme | Indicator | Unfavourable | Middle | Favourable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjective well-being | Satisfaction with life | Score 1-4 | Score 5-6 | Score 7-10 |
| Consumption and income | Standardised disposable household income | Lowest 20%-group | Middle three 20%-groups | Highest 20%-group |
| Household wealth | Lowest 20%-group | Middle three 20%-groups | Highest 20%-group | |
| Health | Perceived health | Less than good | - | Good/very good |
| Labour | Labour participation | No paid work, younger than 75 yrs | No paid work, 75 yrs or older | Paid work |
| Leisure time | Satisfaction with amount of leisure time | Score 1-4 | Score 5-6 | Score 7-10 |
| Housing | Satisfaction with housing | Score 1-4 | Score 5-6 | Score 7-10 |
| Trust | Trust in other people | Does not trust other people | - | Trusts other people |
| Institutions | Trust in institutions (police, judges, House of Representatives) | Trusts none of the three | Trusts one or two | Trusts all three |
Situation in 2021
On average, people had a favourable outcome for 5.3 of the nine indicators and an unfavourable outcome for 1.4 indicators in 2021. Here the group of people with a favourable well-being outcome for seven or more indicators constitutes the top of the distribution. This group represents 25.7 percent of the population. The group of people with at least three unfavourable outcomes constitutes the bottom of the distribution; 18.2 percent of the population belong to this group. The remainder (56.1 percent) make up the middle of the distribution.
As a result of changes to the indicator set and the demarcation between the upper and lower ends of the distribution, accumulation figures from previous editions of this monitor are not directly comparable with the figures from this edition. If the new selection and demarcation are applied to the 2019 data, it can be seen that the group of people for whom favourable outcomes coincide has grown somewhat (now 25.7 percent, compared to 24.7 percent in 2019). The group of people for whom the unfavourable outcomes accumulate has become smaller (now 18.2 percent compared to 20.1 percent in 2019).
We saw earlier that both education level and migration background strongly correlate with above average or below average well-being. The differences between age categories are smaller and the differences between men and women also turn out to be relatively small. We describe below the extent to which individual people in these population groups experience an accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes.
Sex
Age
Highest completed level of education
Migration background
— Education level. There are major differences between education levels in the accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes: 39 percent of the highly educated sit at the top of the distribution with high well-being, against 23 percent of medium-skilled people and 10 percent of low-skilled people. Low-skilled people are more likely to be at the bottom of the distribution; this is the case for 32 percent of this group. The proportions are significantly lower among medium-skilled people (17 percent) and highly educated people (10 percent). The accumulation of favourable outcomes is therefore strongly concentrated among the highly educated, while it is mainly low-skilled people who experience an accumulation of unfavourable outcomes. This picture is consistent with previous years. Low-skilled people are relatively more likely to have unfavourable scores for trust in other people, health and paid employment compared to highly educated people.
— Migration background. An examination of the accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes among people with different backgrounds reveals a more nuanced picture than the description above. It is true that people with a non-western migration background are relatively likely to be at the bottom of the distribution (33 percent) and less likely to be at the top (14 percent), but the differences between this group and people with a native Dutch or a western background are smaller than those based on the outcomes of the individual indicators. The accumulation of unfavourable outcomes among people with a non-western migration background occurs mainly in the first generation and to a lesser extent in the second. Particularly with regard to wealth, trust in others and income, the non-western group scores relatively unfavourably.
— Age. People aged 45 to 64 are relatively likely to be at the top of the distribution. Favourable outcomes coincide for just over one-third of them. That is above the average of 26 percent. This is less likely among those aged 65 years and over: 17 percent of people aged between 65 and 74 and 8 percent of the group aged 75 and over have an accumulation of favourable outcomes. In the latter group unfavourable outcomes nevertheless accumulate less often than average: 12 percent versus an average of 18 percent. This means that a relatively large number of people aged 75 and older are in the middle group: 80 percent of them have fewer than three unfavourable outcomes, but also fewer than seven favourable outcomes. An accumulation of unfavourable outcomes can nevertheless be seen among those aged 65 to 74, where this is the case for 26 percent (compared to 18 percent on average). People aged 65 and older are logically less likely to be in paid employment, but they also score relatively unfavourably in terms of health. On the other hand, they are less likely to score unfavourably for wealth.
— Sex. Men are slightly more likely to be at the top of the distribution (27 percent) than women (24 percent). At the bottom, men and women are equally likely to have an accumulation of unfavourable outcomes, at 18 percent. This means that women are more likely than men to be in the middle group in which there is no accumulation of favourable or unfavourable outcomes. Women are less likely than men to score favourably for having paid employment, income and trust in others, although the differences between men and women are not as great as between other characteristics.
The characteristics of the population described in this chapter are to some extent connected. For example, people with a non-western migration background are usually relatively young and more likely to be low-skilled, while elderly people are more likely to be low-skilled compared to the total population. If we take this correlation of characteristics into account, the education level turns out to have the greatest influence on the number of indicators for which people have a favourable or an unfavourable outcome. Next come migration background and age. Migration background is somewhat more closely associated with the number of unfavourable indicators and age with the number of favourable indicators. Sex is the least important.
It is not only the characteristics of the population, but also the indicators that are to some degree connected with each other. Income and wealth are correlated, for example, but self-perceived health and having or not having paid employment are also related. If we take account of the correlation between indicators, we see that health is the biggest determinant of the number of favourable outcomes. Next comes being in paid employment, after which satisfaction with the home also correlates closely with the number of favourable outcomes. Health and having work are also the most decisive indicators for the number of unfavourable outcomes. Thirdly, trust in others is important for the number of unfavourable outcomes.
For various population groups, specific indicators are relatively more or less important than average in terms of the number of favourable or unfavourable outcomes. For those aged up to 45, satisfaction with the amount of leisure time is more decisive for the number of favourable outcomes than for other age groups and satisfaction with the home is less decisive. For those aged 75 and older this is the case for wealth, which is more strongly associated with the number of favourable outcomes, while being or not being in paid employment is less important.
Whereas health and having work are on average the most decisive indicators for the number of unfavourable outcomes, for those aged 75 and older having work is relatively less important. In addition, for those aged 25 to 64 satisfaction with the home is more often associated with the number of unfavourable factors than in other age groups. For population groups with a migration background satisfaction with the home is also relatively more decisive for the number of unfavourable outcomes than for people without a migration background.
Changes between 2019 and 2021
As a result of a change to the selection of indicators and the adjusted demarcation between the upper and lower ends of the distribution, accumulation figures from previous editions of this monitor are not directly comparable with the figures from this edition. In order to highlight the trend in accumulation, the new indicator selection and demarcation have also been applied to the data for the reference year 2019. This shows that 1 percentage point more people fall at the top of the distribution (25.7 percent in 2021 compared to 24.7 percent in 2019). The group at the bottom has shrunk by 1.8 percentage points.
If we look at the development for the various age groups, we see that the portion of the 18–44‑year-olds at the upper end of the distribution has shrunk by 1 to 2 percentage points. For 18–34‑year-olds the proportion of people at the bottom end of the distribution has also decreased, with a larger group falling in the middle of the distribution than in 2019. Among the 45–74‑year-olds the upper end of the distribution has grown by 3 to 4 percentage points. In this age group fewer people fall at the bottom of the distribution, with a notable 4 percentage point fall for the group aged 55 to 74.
For the different education levels we see that the development was relatively unfavourable for highly educated people, fewer of whom are at the top of the distribution in 2021. This group nevertheless had a good starting position. The share of medium-skilled people at the lower end of the distribution has fallen by 2 percentage points, while the middle group has increased in comparative terms. The share of low-skilled people at the lower end of the distribution has also decreased (1 percentage point), but in this group there is a corresponding increase at the upper end. Although wide differences remain in the occurrence of accumulation of favourable and unfavourable outcomes by education level, low- and medium-skilled people have moved slightly closer to the highly educated group.
In the case of migration background it is notable that in 2021 significantly more people with a non-western background fell in the middle of the distribution (8 percentage points). This is because in this group both the lower end of the distribution has become significantly smaller – by 5 percentage points – and the share of people at the upper end has also fallen, by 3 percentage points. For people with a western migration background a comparable, albeit smaller, shift is seen towards the middle group. For people with a Dutch native background, the upper end of the distribution increased by 2 percentage points in 2021 compared to 2019.
| Top | Middle | Bottom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0.1% | 0.9% | –1.8% |
| Men | 0.0% | 0.4% | –0.4% |
| Women | 1.9% | 1.4% | –3.3% |
| 18-24 | –1.7% | 2.9% | –1.1% |
| 25-34 | –0.6% | 2.0% | –1.4% |
| 35-44 | –1.9% | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| 45-54 | 4.7% | –3.3% | –1.3% |
| 55-64 | 2.7% | 1.2% | –3,9% |
| 65-74 | 2.8% | 1.4% | –4,2% |
| 75+ | –0.3% | 1.3% | –0,9% |
| Low | 1.1% | 0.2% | –1.3% |
| Medium | 0.1% | 1.7% | –1.8% |
| High | –1.5% | 1.2% | 0.3% |
| Native Dutch | 1.8% | –0.5% | –1.2% |
| Western | –0.5% | 3.4% | –2.9% |
| Non-western | –2.6% | 7.8% | –5.2% |
Noten
The 2016 International Standard Classification of Education in three levels was used as the basis for the education attained. A low education level comprises groups 1 to 8 of primary education/special primary education, the first three academic years of senior general secondary education (HAVO)/pre-university education (VWO), all programmes of prevocational secondary education (VMBO) and level 1 of secondary vocational education (MBO-1). A medium education level comprises upper secondary education (HAVO/VWO), basic vocational training (MBO-2), vocational training (MBO-3) and middle management and specialist education (MBO-4). A high education level comprises associate degree programmes, higher education (HBO/WO) Bachelor’s programmes, Master’s degree programmes at universities of applied sciences and research universities (HBO, WO) and doctoral degree programmes at research universities (WO).
Further information on the delineation of migration background can be found here. CBS introduced a new classification by origin in February 2022. This new classification will be gradually incorporated into the CBS statistics and publications. The 2022 Monitor of Well-being continues to use the old classification by migration background (Netherlands, western migration background, non-western migration background). Further information on the new classification can be found here: CBS introducing new population classification by origin
In the case of indicators concerning material well-being (income and wealth) a relatively favourable/unfavourable development is deemed to have occurred if the development of a group differs by two percentage points or more from the development of the total.
Diener, E and E. Suh, 1997, Measuring Quality of Life: Economic, Social and Subjective Indicators. Social Indicators Research, 40 (1-2), pp. 189-216.
Beuningen, J. van, and M. Akkermans, 2020, Regionale verschillen in geluksbeleving en tevredenheid met het leven in 2013-2019. Statistical Trends, Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2022, Welzijn; kerncijfers, persoonskenmerken. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
Satisfaction with life is measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with a score of 7 or higher being seen as ‘satisfied’. A score of 4 or lower is considered to be ‘dissatisfied’ (see Beuningen, J. van, K. van der Houwen and L. Moonen, 2014, Measuring well-being. An analysis of different response scales. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
Since these indicators are measured at household level, the characteristics of the main breadwinner of the household are considered here. Figures for men and women are therefore shown separately.
CBS, 2019, Armoede en sociale uitsluiting 2019. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2020, Materiële welvaart in Nederland 2020. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
To allow a proper comparison, the figures for 2019 are expressed here in 2020 prices.
Assets consist of financial assets (bank deposits and securities), real estate, substantial interests and business assets. The debts include loans for owner-occupied homes, student debts and consumer credit. Improvements were made in mid-2021, including with regard to the measurement of substantial interests in companies. The credit balances built up within savings-based and investment-based mortgages have now also been included in wealth. The improvement has been applied retroactively (to 2011). The reporting in this and subsequent editions will be based on the revised wealth specifications.
Pension or annuity entitlements should also be seen as assets, but they are not included in the definition of wealth because a household does not have free access to them.
To allow a proper comparison, the figures for 2019 are expressed here in 2020 prices.
CBS, 2016, Gezondheid, relaties en werk belangrijker voor geluk dan geld. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2022, Gezondheid en zorggebruik; persoonskenmerken, (consulted on 16-3-2022).
CBS, 2022, Gezondheid en zorggebruik; persoonskenmerken, (consulted on 16-3-2022)
CBS, 2022, Gezondheid en zorggebruik; persoonskenmerken, (consulted on 16-3-2022)
The determination of the education level for people aged 25 or over is based on the highest education attainment level. In case of persons aged 15 to 24 it is based on the highest level of education attended. In the case of persons aged 12 to 14 the education level is difficult to determine, so the level has been set to ‘unknown’. For children aged up to 12, the education level is based on the highest attainment level of the parent(s)/carer(s).
The figures on self-perceived health relate to people in private households. People in institutions are not included in the underlying study. The same therefore also applies to those aged 75 and over. 98.5 percent of Dutch people were living in private households in 2021. Among those aged 75 and over the figure was 92.8 percent.
CBS, 2022, The labour market in figures 2021. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
As a result of a redesign of the source study it is not possible to make a comparison for all groups between 2019 and 2021.
People whose education level is unknown are included in the low-skilled group.
No figures for satisfaction with work are available for working people as a whole (including the self-employed).
Beuningen, J. van, 2018, Woning en woonomgeving gerelateerd aan tevredenheid met het leven. Statistical Trends, Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2019, Huurders minder tevreden met woning. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire. CBS, 2019, Woontevredenheid; kenmerken woningen, regio’s. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
Schmeets, H., and J. Exel, 2020, Vertrouwen, maatschappelijk onbehagen en pessimisme. Statistical trends. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire;
Schmeets, H., 2018, Participatie op de kaart. Statistical Trends, Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2019, Public trust in EU and politics on the rise. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire. https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2019/11/public-trust-in-eu-and-politics-on-the-rise
OECD, 2017, OECD Guidelines on Measuring Trust. OECD Publishing, Paris.
Schmeets, H. and J. Arends, 2020, Vrijwilligerswerk en welzijn. Statistical Trends, Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
CBS, 2022, Vertrouwen in mensen en in organisaties; persoonskenmerken. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
Lamet, W. and K. Wittebrood, 2009, Nooit meer dezelfde. Gevolgen van misdrijven voor slachtoffers. The Hague: Netherlands Institute for Social Research.
CBS, 2022, Veiligheidsmonitor 2021. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire.
Due to a redesign in the source survey (Safety monitor), the figures for 2021 and 2019 are not readily comparable. For the overall figure on traditional victims of crime, a conversion factor was calculated for 2019, making the figure comparable to that of 2021. For the allocation analysis in this Monitor of Well-being, that conversion factor has also been applied to the 2019 figures for all target groups. A specific conversion factor has not therefore been determined for all target groups.
OECD, 2017, How’s life? 2017: Measuring Well-being. OECD Publishing, Paris.
WHO, 2018, How air pollution is destroying our health. World Health Organization (consulted on 4-2-2020)
CBS, 2018, More people find the environment highly polluted. Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire
The observation took place from March to May inclusive.
In the case of people aged under 16 the education level is based on that of the parent(s)/carer(s)