Dutch young people feel effects of energy, inflation crises

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands

Young people in the Netherlands are struggling with the energy and inflation crises, according to survey results covered on Saturday by local media.

Public broadcaster NOS reported that some 2,000 young Dutch people who participated in its survey, titled "NOS stories," began to suffer from mental problems due to these crises.

Young people, who went through troubled times during the COVID-19 pandemic that lasted for two years, are now facing with similar difficulties due to the rising prices in energy and other sectors.

More than half of the 2,000 young respondents from underprivileged families pointed out that households were trying to save on heating, showering, outings, and healthy food.

While soaring energy prices in the country have directly affected the quality of life of young people, it said that they could not afford healthy food or heating at night.

About one in four young people who participated in the online survey said they struggled with anxiety and have fights at home, reporting that their parents "get angry when my sister takes a hot bath" to "my mother is very scared and sad that it will only get worse."

NOS quoted one of the participants, 17-year-old Shanna, as saying: "I sleep with a jogging suit, a sweater, two blankets, a heater and sometimes I use my laptop charger as a kind of hot water bottle. I let it heat up in the socket and then I put it under the covers."

Fifteen-year-old Justin, meanwhile, said that energy and inflation crises have been topics of conversation at home, as well as how his school expenses will be paid.

On Friday, inflation in the Netherlands rose to 17.1% amid high energy and food prices. The figure had been at 13.7% in August.