How often do we have a goosebump moment?
Thirty percent of the adult Dutch population say they have a goosebump moment once a week. A goosebump moment is a meaningful moment where someone is affected in a positive or negative sense. There are 6 percent Dutch people who say they have a goosebump moment every day against also 6 percent who never have a goosebump moment. People who regularly experience a goosebump moment are more likely to find life worth living, and are more likely to feel that they are contributing to society.
Women experience goosebump moments more frequently than men (72 percent versus 57 percent), at least once a month. People over 75 are less likely to experience goosebump moments than 18 to 74‑year-olds: 53 percent of them get goosebumps at least once a month, while in other age groups it ranges from 62 to 68 percent.
| Kenmerk | Once a month or more | Less than once a month |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65 | 35 |
| Men | 57 | 43 |
| Women | 72 | 28 |
| 18-24 yrs | 66 | 34 |
| 25-34 yrs | 67 | 33 |
| 35-44 yrs | 67 | 33 |
| 45-54 yrs | 68 | 32 |
| 55-64 yrs | 64 | 36 |
| 65-74 yrs | 62 | 38 |
| 75 yrs and over | 53 | 47 |
Relationship to meaning
The goosebump momentnoot1 has been examined in relation to meaningnoot2: finding life worth while or having a sense of contributing something to society. Among those who experience goosebump moments at least once every month, 94 percent find life worth living and 77 percent feel they contribute something to society. This is more than among adults who have goosebump moments less than once a month (89 percent and 67 percent).
| Zingeving | Find life worth living | Feel they contribute something to society |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 92 | 74 |
| Have a goosebump moment less than once a month | 89 | 67 |
| Have a goosebump moment once a month or more | 94 | 77 |
More goosebump moments means happier more often
People who regularly experience a goosebump moment, at least once a month, are also happiernoot3 more often than people who experience such moments less often: 89 percent of them rate themselves 7 or higher in terms of happiness, compared to 83 percent of adults who get a goosebump moment less than once a month.
Relevant links
News release – Fewer young adults say they are happy
The questions
- How does CBS collect data?
- How much do we cycle per week on average?
- Who are most likely to work part-time?
- How many people visited Bonaire by cruise ship?
- Are people happy with the house they live in?
- How many young women encounter street harassment?
- What do the over-65s do online?
- How many wind turbines in the Netherlands?
- How far is school by bike?
- How many museums are there?
- How much electricity in the Caribbean Netherlands is renewable?
- How many adults are overweight?
- How many cargo ships dock at Dutch seaports?
- What did we listen to on the radio in 1953?
- What is the average lifespan in the Netherlands?
- Where did we go for a holiday in 1947?
- How much fish is landed?
- Where were people in the Netherlands born?
- What do we spend money on?
- How old are Dutch first-time mothers on average?
- How much cheese do we produce?
- How are goods transported through the Netherlands?
- How many people fall victim to cybercrime?
- What is the most spoken language or dialect at home?
- How many shops are there?
- What is the value of Dutch beer exports?
- How often do we have a goosebump moment?
- How many cows graze in fields?
- What are the most popular majors?
- How tall are Dutch people?
- How is the urban bird population doing?
- Where do most people work?
- What colour is our car?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?
Noten
Goosebump moment
A goosebump moment, or transcendental moment, is a meaningful experience that expresses the meaning of life for people. These are moments that touch or move people. These moments emphatically include both positive experiences and moments of sorrow after a negative event, such as the loss of a loved one. Moreover, they may be both profound moments and seemingly mundane moments that people consciously experience and thus take on special meaning.
Experiencing goosebump moments is seen as an important pillar of meaning and was surveyed in 2020 in an ad hoc module on meaning as follows:
People can be touched or moved by things in life that are often small and special. This is also sometimes referred to as goosebump moments.
How often do you have a goosebump moment?
Meaning
This survey defines meaning as follows: leading a life with purpose and meaning that is fulfilling, and in which social engagement and interaction with people, personal development and altruism are key. Meaning was measured in an ad hoc module of the Social Cohesion and Well-Being Survey in 2020, using the following two statements.
- I consider life to be worthwhile
- I feel that I am contributing something to society
The question is to what extent the respondent agrees with each of these statements. The answer categories were:
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
The following dimensions are distinguished within the survey on meaning:
- Social
- Personal development
- Transcendence (goosebump moments)
- Religion/spirituality
Happiness
Since 2013, the question of happiness has been explored in the Social Cohesion and Well-being Survey. On a scale from 1 to 10, respondents are asked whether they can indicate to what extent they see themselves as a happy person. A score of 7 or higher means people are considered to be happy, a score of 5 or 6 means they consider themselves ‘neither happy nor unhappy’ and scores 1 up to 4 categorise a person as unhappy.