Summary Focus on the quality of society | Social and Cultural Developments 2024
Authors: Lotte Vermeij, Yvonne de Kluizenaar, Mark Reijnders, Marcel Coenders, Andries van den Broek, Dirk Postma and Maroesjka Versantvoort

The Netherlands faces significant challenges, including climate change and demographic shifts such as migration and ageing. Meanwhile, the government’s financial flexibility is limited. Without changes in policy, current and future generations could see reduced government services or higher taxes. On top of that, an ageing population leads to a decline in human resources. Various issues are already surfacing in areas like care and support, socio-economic security, housing, mobility, nature and the environment. These challenges require a comprehensive approach from the government, since allocating more resources to one area may mean sacrificing envisioned outcomes in another.
We first outline the current ‘state of the nation’ with regard to Dutch society, shedding light on areas where its quality faces challenges. Subsequently, we delve into the impact of political decisions on the quality of society across four policy domains: sustainability, asylum andmigration, care and support, and socio-economic security. We also explore variations in political trust and the implications of policy choices on how different segments of society perceive government effectiveness. Finally, we reflect on the ramifications of policy decisions for the quality of society.