Netherlands residents less happy with their neighborhoods

Netherlands residents are less happy with their neighborhoods than a year ago, with the living environment score dropping in two-thirds of the Dutch municipalities. The number of neighborhoods that got an insufficient score for quality of life increased from one last year to five this year, AD reports based on the Vrije Universiteit’s research among 18,000 of the neighbors' platform Nextdoor.

The national average for quality of life in the Dutch neighborhoods also decreased slightly, from 7.6 to 7.5. The researchers called the downward movement striking because Nextdoor members are often very committed residents who have lived in the same neighborhood for years.

Last year, only Rotterdam-Beverwaard got an insufficient score, less than 6 out of 10. This year, the same was also true for Laakkwartier/Spoorwijk and Bouwlust/Vrederust in The Hague, Osdorp-Oost in Amsterdam, Rotterdam-Charlois, and Bergen op Zoom-Oost.

Two municipalities in Arnhem and one in Heerlen scored higher than a 9 out of 10. The municipality with the highest average is Goirle, with an 8.5, scoring slightly better than De Bilt and Bloemendaal, which both got an 8+ score on average.

According to Vrije Universiteit sociologist Jasper Muis, who conducted the neighbor survey for the third time this year, income level is the main factor in how satisfied people are with their neighborhoods. “People who earn more, who are better educated, have a more optimistic outlook on life,” he told the newspaper.

The idea that neighbors spending time together is good for the neighborhood is true to an extent, he added. “A neighborhood barbecue is a good idea, but above a certain limit, an extra street party really no longer matters,” Muis said. “It is not about how often you see each other but about the quality of those meetings.”