Well-being and social cohesion crucial for resilience in future crises
Well-being and social cohesion are important pillars for how society can withstand a crisis, such as a pandemic. It is therefore important to pay continuous attention to these factors—before, during, and after a crisis.
Slight improvement in mental health of higher education students
The mental health of higher education students was slightly better in 2025 compared with 2021. Among other things, fewer students reported emotional exhaustion, loneliness and pressure to perform. That being said, a large proportion of students still feel ill at ease and experience mental health issues.
Mental health decreasing among young people, stable among adults
The mental health of young people in the Netherlands has declined. These findings are from by the latest quarterly research update (June 2025) from the GOR Network. More young people felt lonely, experienced stress, and had serious thoughts about suicide.
Minimal improvement in young people’s health and mental well-being
The number of young people who assess their own health as good has increased slightly compared to the previous quarterly study.
Young adults speak up about their mental health, stress and substance use
Young adults see school or higher education as the biggest source of stress. In addition, many young adults are concerned about money and societal developments. They also describe substance use as completely normalised in Dutch society.
Persistent concerns about young adults’ mental health despite slight improvement
Only half of young adults rate their mental health as good. This emerges from the Public Health Monitor Young Adults2024, a large-scale survey conducted among over 135,000 16-to-25-year-olds in the Netherlands.
