Covid-19 dominated NL residents' Google searches this year
That the coronavirus had the Netherlands in its grips for most of 2020 is also reflected in the Dutch population's most used Google search terms. Four of the five most used search terms this year had to do with Covid-19, according to data released by Google on Wednesday.
The most used search term in the Netherlands this year was "coronavirus". Number 2 was public health institute "RIVM". Number 4 was "coronavirus Nederland". And in fifth place was "Snappet", an app used for distance learning.
The coronavirus also sneaked into more specified searches, all translated from Dutch. Under the "what is" section, number one went to "what is a lockdown", and two went to "what is a pandemic". The fact that parents had to help kids with school work at home during the lockdown could also be seen in the questions, "what is a linking verb" and "what is a noun", third and fifth most Googled what is questions.
In the "why" section, there's "why do we hoard toilet paper" in second place, and "why is it called the coronavirus" in fourth. In the DIY section, "how do you make a face mask" was most searched for. And under news, "Corona press conference", "King's day at home", and "schools closed" were the first, third and fifth most searched for terms.
Other than the coronavirus, Netherlands residents were also curious about whether or not Donald Trump would still be in the White House next year. The third most used general search term was "Verkiezingen Amerika", translating to "Elections America". That search term also popped in second place under news searches.
