Housing crisis, inflation weighing on young people's mental health after pandemic
Young people are still struggling to recover from the mental consequences of the coronavirus, and all the other crises the Netherlands is facing are weighing heavily on them. The housing crisis and skyrocketing inflation, in particular, are affecting their mental health, EenVandaag reported after surveying 3Vraagt - part of the program’s regular opinion panel consisting of over 1,500 young people aged 16 to 34.
A third of young people, 32 percent, said they suffer from depressive feelings - about the same as last year. Slightly fewer young people feel lonely, 42 percent, instead of 49 percent last year. But the proportion of young people who are stressed out increased from 41 percent in 2021 to 46 percent now.
Three-quarters of young people said that the many crises the Netherlands is facing are weighing on their mental health. The price increases and the housing crisis, in particular, worry them, with 53 and 42 percent respectively saying these issues affect their mental state.
The climate crisis affects 28 percent of young people’s mental health. “Climate change and the war in Ukraine make it feel like there is no future, as if the world is about to fall apart,” one respondent said. Another: “The climate crisis has made me feel somber for years. It feels like the world is on fire, and I can’t do anything about it. I have a hard time dealing with that.”
Young people also struggle with performance pressure - 71 percent said they feel pressure to perform at school or work, and another 71 percent feel pressure to always show the best version of themselves.
A massive 55 percent of young people said that they still experience a taboo on talking about their mental health. “I’m afraid people will see me as weak or inferior,” one respondent said.
