How come that suddenly half of the Dutch sees the future sunny against only a third at the end of last year? Different things come together, researchers suspect. ‘Optimism is fashion-sensitive’, says Professor Ruut Veenhoven, who is affiliated with the Erasmus Happiness Research Organization. ‘The comparison is even quite literally to make: like short skirts are in, you know that there comes a moment that long skirts come back into fashion and vice versa.’
But why now? Researches can’t give a clear answer to this question. It seems to depend on multiple circumstances. Veenhoven says: ‘A collective feeling of optimism is strongly influenced by external factors. Many messages concerning an improving economy, decreasing unemployment and increasing housing prices help the feeling of optimism.’
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For more information read the entire article above in the Dutch newspaper Dagblad Trouw, 30 March 2018.