Half of young adults (51%), as shown by the 2024 Young Adult Health Monitor, experience their own mental health as (very) good, 35% as moderate, and 14% experience it as (very) poor. Young adults who have difficulty making ends meet, people living alone, and 21- to 25-year-olds are less likely to experience good mental health. Regional differences are also visible (see map). “It is important that we have insight into young adults’ mental health and know in which areas support is needed,” says Andre Rouvoet, chair of GGD GHOR Netherlands.
High levels of stress and performance pressure
More than two in five young adults often feel stressed. The main sources of stress are studying/school and work/part-time jobs. More than half of young adults regularly experience performance pressure. They experience this pressure more often from themselves (44%) than from others (35%). When pressure comes from others, young adults most often experience it from parents or guardians. Many young adults are also concerned about social issues, particularly the housing market and rising prices. Fewer than half of young adults have a great deal of confidence in their own future; 15% have little or no confidence in it.
Slight improvement compared with 2022
Since the 2022 measurement, conducted shortly after the coronavirus pandemic, there appears to have been a slight improvement in several aspects of mental health. In 2024, the proportion of young adults who often feel limited in daily life by psychological problems fell from almost a quarter in 2022 to almost one in five. The proportion of young adults who feel severely lonely also fell slightly, from 27% to 23%. In addition, almost two-thirds of young adults often felt happy during the last four weeks, compared with just over half in 2022. The proportion of young adults who are satisfied with their own lives also rose slightly, from 80% in 2022 to 83% in 2024. In addition, the majority of young adults are satisfied with themselves (84%). This too represents a slight increase compared with 2022. Despite these slight improvements, there is still considerable room for progress in these areas.
Corona still has an impact
Although the coronavirus period is now behind us, almost four in five young adults still experienced negative and/or positive effects from it in 2024. Almost two-thirds still experience negative effects, particularly in the areas of mental health, personal development, academic progress, and initiating and maintaining relationships. Almost half still experience positive effects, also particularly in relation to personal development.
About the study
From April through July 2024, all municipal public health services (GGDs), together with the RIVM and GGD GHOR Netherlands, conducted a study among 16- to 25-year-olds in the Netherlands: the 2024 Young Adult Health Monitor. More than 135,000 young adults completed the questionnaire about their health, well-being, and lifestyle. They were recruited primarily through advertisements on social media. It is possible that respondents with poorer (mental) health participated relatively more often. Additional qualitative research was conducted to provide greater depth and to better understand the results of the questionnaire. The results of this additional study will be published in a few weeks.
More information about the study can be found at monitorgezondheid.nl. In addition to the results described above, many more topics were covered in this study. For all results, visit VZinfo.nl and RIVM StatLine, and view the national report and the infographic.
The study is part of the COVID-19 Health Research conducted by the Disaster Health Research Network (RIVM, municipal public health services, GGD GHOR Netherlands, Nivel, and ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre) on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and ZonMW.