With a pandemic ongoing, the year 2020 reshaped the lives of young people in the Netherlands. In secondary education, relatively more students were promoted and almost all final examination students graduated. Fewer young people were at work; fewer girls between the ages of 12 and 18 used alcohol on occasion, and there was less excessive drinking among young men. The number of young people receiving youth care declined; on the other hand, the number of reported child abuse cases went up. Furthermore, compared to the previous year, in 2020 a smaller share of young people reported they were happy and satisfied with life. These are some of the results Statistics Netherlands (CBS) describes in the Annual Report of the National Youth Monitor 2021, published today.
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Young people aged 15 to 17 years in the Netherlands say they have little interest in politics. Once they are entitled to vote when they turn 18, they do start to find politics more interesting. At the same time, young people place a great deal of faith in politicians, more so than the older generations.
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Slightly over half of Dutch young people between the ages of 15 and 24 occasionally do volunteer work. More than half are also active in associations.
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In 2017, more than half of all children aged 4 to 11 complied with the standards for physical activity as set by the Health Council of the Netherlands. Almost two-thirds were taking part in sports at least once per week.
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In 2017, disrespectful behaviour was encountered relatively most often by women between the ages of 18 and 24 years; 33 percent experienced such behaviour on the street and 22 percent did so in public transport.
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In 2017, 29 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds were addicted to social media in their own view, up from 19 percent in 2015. The share of 25-year-olds who consider themselves addicted is relatively lower.
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A very large majority of Dutch 18 to 24-year-olds are satisfied with their lives in general and with their social lives in particular: around 85 percent in 2016. Young adults who are currently enrolled in or who have completed higher education are often more positive than their lower educated peers.
Read publicationIn 2014, 73 thousand young people between the ages of 12 and 25 (2.4 percent of the total youth population) were registered as suspects of a criminal offence. This is a decline of 43 percent since 2007. One third of all registered suspects in 2014 were young, down from 39 percent in 2007.
Read publicationBetween 2010 and 2014, over 14 percent of young Dutch between the ages of 12 and 20 were smoking. This percentage is particularly high in the north of the Netherlands. The share of young people smoking is highest in the province of Drenthe (19 percent), followed by the province of Groningen and the northern Netherlands region, each with 18 percent. The lowest share of smokers aged 12 to 20 is found in the middle region of the country. The municipal health care regions of Amsterdam, Utrecht and the Gooi- en Vecht area report a percentage share of 11 percent young smokers.
Read publicationNearly one in three 18-24 year-olds smoke, and one in five of this age group are overweight. At the same time, nearly 91 percent report their own health as good or very good. Young people who smoke and those who are overweight are less positive about their health than those who do not smoke and those who are not overweight.
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