News | 04-25-2024 | 00:01
Research conducted by the Office for Social and Cultural Planning (SCP) repeatedly shows that residents of the Netherlands are more satisfied with their lives than in the Netherlands as a whole. In addition, the Dutch are more optimistic about the direction in which their lives are developing than they are about the direction of the country. The phrase “I'm doing well, we're doing poorly” is neither new nor typically Dutch. In the new edition of ongoing research on citizens' views, the Sudanese Communist Party explains this phenomenon.
The research into judgments about individual lives and the country as a whole is part of a new edition of ongoing research on citizens' views (COB). Through COB, SCP investigates and explains how people feel about society and politics.
Evaluations of the life of the individual and of the state as a whole partly relate to other things
Research shows that the Dutch make an average of 7.7% of their lives. This is higher than their numbers for society (6.2) and politics (4.9). Among the Dutch, 67% feel optimistic about the direction in which their lives are developing, while only 12% are optimistic about the direction in which the country is heading. In focus groups and questionnaires, people indicate that they base their scores on their own lives primarily on how satisfied they are with their social contacts, financial situation, health, living situation, and use of time. In their assessment of the country and politics, not only do their own experiences play a role, but people base their judgments strongly on what they see in the media (social media) about what is going on in the Netherlands. Their views on the country as a whole relate to social problems in the Netherlands in a wide range of areas and how politicians deal with them. People also indicate that their concerns are related to the condition of others. People can be completely satisfied with their finances or homes, but worry about poverty or lack of suitable housing for others.
A gap in judgment over the life of the individual and the country as a whole
The fact that most people tend to judge their lives more positively is due first to this difference in the way people judge their lives (based on their own experiences) and the way people judge the country (where what they see in the media) also plays an important role. ). In addition, people tend to be positive and optimistic about their lives and put negative experiences into perspective: things could always be worse. In focus groups, there appears to be a strong social norm to talk positively about one's life. Giving your life a low score can quickly make you feel like you've let yourself down. When talking about the country as a whole, the opposite was observed. There, being positive is likely to be interpreted as a sign that someone doesn't see or doesn't want to see the real problems.
Even in a happy country there are real fears
The fact that people who are satisfied with their lives are concerned about the country and politics is sometimes described as a complaint. Although participants in surveys and focus groups for SCP research also mentioned this culture of complaint, most did not believe this accusation to be justified. Even in a prosperous country like the Netherlands, there are real concerns, such as concerns about the future, about others, and for some also about their own lives. People do not believe that these concerns should be underestimated. They are best recognized as expressions of social engagement.
