De impact van de coronacrisis op het subjectief welbevinden van (internationale) studenten in Nederland

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being of (international) higher education students in the Netherlands In this paper we investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being of higher education students in the Netherlands. More specifically, we compare international students and Dutch students, based on the Dutch data of the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study, a cross-sectional survey conducted between May-July 2020 among higher education students across the Netherlands (N = 10.491). Based on the sociological literature on the relationship between social capital and subjective well-being, we investigate in particular whether changes in social contact during the first lockdown can explain differences in subjective well-being between international and Dutch students. Our results suggest that although international students report lower levels of subjective well-being compared to Dutch students, these differences cannot be directly explained by (changes) in social contact during the lockdown.

De invloed van de coronacrisis op de relatieve verdeling van zorg door moeders en vaders

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relative division of care tasks between mothers and fathers: a longitudinal perspective For many parents, the combination of work and care was already demanding and unevenly distributed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has clearly influenced the relative division of care tasks, but how and why remains unclear. We use longitudinal panel data from the LISS panel, collected in April, June and November 2020, to analyze the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relative distribution of care by mothers and fathers in the Netherlands. A complex picture emerges from these longitudinal analyses, and several theoretical perspectives appear to be relevant. We conclude that time availability mainly has an effect at the beginning of the pandemic, while relative resources play a role the longer the pandemic endures.

Effect van de COVID-19 pandemie op geluk in Nederland

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on happiness in The Netherlands In the media we read mainly about negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our subjective wellbeing, such as increased depression, anxiety and loneliness. There is less attention for possible positive effects and for this reason it is worth examining how the life-satisfaction of the Dutch population has developed during the pandemic. In the short run, this will help policy makers to balance loss of happiness against loss of lives and in the long run it will help to examine which policies have resulted in the lowest loss of happy life years. In this article, we describe observed effects on happiness in the Netherlands during the pandemic (until spring 2021) using three empirical approaches: 1) trend in subsequent survey studies, 2) analysis of a panel study, and 3) analysis of a dairy study in which mood during daily activities was measured. Average life-satisfaction declined by about 4% of which 3% between summer 2020 and spring 2021. Whereas in the early days of the pandemic, the Dutch population only reported a minor loss of happiness, the decline has become substantial at the end of the road.

Burgerinitiatieven in tijden van crisis

Citizens’ initiatives in times of crisis: An investigation into the factors that influence the durability of citizens’ initiatives In the Netherlands, citizens’ initiatives have received a lot of praise and are increasingly made responsible for providing public services. If they are to fulfil this role, they must be able to weather a crisis, as during a crisis public services should remain reliable. Literature on the durability of citizens’ initiatives suggests that large initiatives, with a close-knit core group and strong government support are the most durable. However, our research indicates that this was not the case during the COVID-19 crisis. Flexibility and freedom to function independently from the municipal government were found to be more decisive for durability. This suggests that despite public value of citizens’ initiatives, they cannot be expected to take much responsibility for durable public service provision.