Well-being and social cohesion crucial for resilience in future crises

The research also shows that some groups are much more resilient than others. In these cases, unequal treatment is necessary to ensure equal opportunities.

Mental health of young people recovers slowly

The mental health of young people has suffered greatly during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, 3.5 years after the last corona measures were scaled down, the mental health of young people is slowly recovering. This is evident from the trend of four years of quarterly measurements from the research program. Although mental well-being has slightly improved in recent years, it has not yet returned to pre-corona crisis levels. The improvement is seen in loneliness, stress, and physical complaints. On the other hand, the percentage of young people who report having seriously thought about suicide remains stable. Well-being and confidence in the future are strongly linked to mental health and resilience.

Recovery does not apply to everyone

Data from general practitioners confirm the picture that there is a (small) group of young people who do not recover. The latest figures (from July to September 2025) also show that young people had more frequent contact with GPs about suicide attempts and thoughts than before the corona pandemic, and this does not decrease. There is also an increase in the number of young people reporting to GPs for anxiety and severe stress reactions.

Confidence in the future

In the latest measurement in September, 47 percent of young people indicated having (a lot of) confidence in their future. Additionally, 40 percent have moderate to reasonable confidence and 12 percent little to no confidence. Young people often base that confidence on feelings and how things are going at school, study, or work. Relationships, health, and housing also play a role. Among other things, financial hardship, chronic health problems, and doubts about important life choices caused uncertainty about their future. Some young people therefore remain cautious about their future, while others trust that it will ultimately be fine and that despite possible setbacks, they can make something good of their own future. Depending on the worries young people have, confidence in the future seems largely determined by factors close to the person. There is little to no correlation found with factors such as social unrest, climate, or war. Some young people do indicate that despite stability in their own lives, they have slightly less confidence because unrest in the world may endanger their own future.

Research program on the effects of the corona crisis on health

For five years, the Network GOR collected information about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the health and experienced happiness of people in the Netherlands. Policymakers can develop better policies with this up-to-date knowledge. Network GOR consists of the RIVM, local GGD Municipal Health Services (Municipal Health Services), GGD GHOR Nederland Municipal / Joint Health Services – Medical Assistance Organization in the Region (Municipal / Joint Health Services – Medical Assistance Organization in the Region), the Nivel and ARQ National Psychotrauma Center. ZonMw Netherlands Organization for Health Research & Development (Netherlands Organization for Health Research & Development) is the client of the research on behalf of the Ministry of VWS Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport).