The campaign follows a 2024 CBS survey of students ages 10-18 in secondary and vocational education.
KRALENDIJK--How are young people on Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius really doing? A new campaign by Statistics Netherlands CBS, titled “This is us!”, seeks to answer that question by shining a spotlight on issues such as health, well-being, bullying, discrimination, lifestyle habits, leisure activities, and young people’s outlook on the future.
The campaign follows a 2024 CBS survey among students ages 10-18 in secondary and vocational education. The findings offer an up-to-date picture of life for youth in the Caribbean Netherlands, giving policymakers and organisations reliable data to support their decision-making.
CBS emphasises that the data are not only statistical but also personal, reflecting the everyday realities of young people. By making this information widely accessible, CBS hopes to raise awareness and encourage the use of data in shaping social development.
The “This is us!” campaign began earlier this year with posters in public spaces and an online rollout, illustrating how CBS figures tell the story of the population. The latest phase turns the focus specifically to youth, underlining their experiences and challenges.
The campaign is conducted in Dutch, English, and Papiamentu, ensuring it reaches audiences across all three islands. CBS continues to invite citizens and businesses to take part in its broader research on social issues.
Survey results
The 2024 Caribbean Netherlands Student Survey builds on earlier research conducted in 2020, offering insights into how the lives of young people have evolved. Results are presented by subject, with comparisons to the 2020 data where possible. Differences between groups are only highlighted when statistically significant, based on a 95% confidence interval.
Well-being
Students on Saba reported greater happiness and life satisfaction compared to four years ago. In 2024, they gave an average score of 7.4 for both measures, showing an improvement from 2020. On Bonaire, students rated their happiness at 7.5 and their life satisfaction at 7.4, slightly lower than in 2020. Students on St. Eustatius scored their happiness at 7.1 and satisfaction at 6.9, results that suggest lower overall well-being than on the other islands.
Boys on Bonaire reported higher happiness and life satisfaction than girls, and boys on St. Eustatius were also happier than girls. On Saba and St. Eustatius, there were no differences in life satisfaction between boys and girls. Across all islands, students age 10-14 were happier and more satisfied with their lives than those age 15-17.
Not all students felt they could confide in someone regarding personal issues. In 2024, 21% of students on St. Eustatius, 18% on Saba, and 11% on Bonaire completely disagreed with the statement “I can talk about my personal problems with someone I trust.”
Bullying and discrimination
In 2024, girls on Bonaire and Saba reported being bullied more often than boys in the year prior to the survey. The difference was most pronounced on Saba, where 31% of girls experienced bullying compared to 17% of boys. Bullying was also more common among younger students age 10-14 than among those age 15-17. Bullying mainly took place offline.
On Bonaire and Saba, it often involved gossip, while on St. Eustatius it took the form of swearing or name-calling. The number of students experiencing bullying on Bonaire and Saba in 2024 was similar to 2020. However, in 2020 there had been no significant differences between boys and girls on Saba.
Around one in five students on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba reported experiencing discrimination in the year before the survey. This was slightly higher for girls than boys on Bonaire, but no sex differences were found on Saba or St. Eustatius. Unlike bullying, discrimination showed little variation between age groups. On Bonaire and St. Eustatius, discriminatory incidents often involved comments, whereas on Saba, discrimination was primarily in the form of gossip. Across all three islands, the majority of students who experienced discrimination said it occurred at school.
Health and lifestyle
Most students in the Caribbean Netherlands perceived their own health as good or very good: 75% on Bonaire, 71% on Saba, and 68% on St. Eustatius. Boys were more likely than girls to perceive their health positively.
On Bonaire, 81% of boys said their health was good or very good, compared to 69% of girls. On Saba, the figures were 77% for boys and 65% for girls, and on St. Eustatius, 73% and 61%, respectively. Younger students on Bonaire (age 10-14) were more likely than older students to perceive their health positively, although no age differences were observed on Saba or St. Eustatius.
Despite generally positive health perceptions, many students had unhealthy dietary habits. Only 10% of students on Saba ate enough fruit at least five days a week, compared with 16% on Bonaire and 20% on St. Eustatius. Vegetable consumption was also low, particularly on Saba (26%) and St. Eustatius (38%), while Bonaire fared better at 52%. On all three islands, more than half of students ate breakfast at least five days per week.
High-sugar drinks such as soda, lemonade and energy drinks are popular among students. Less than 5% of students reported never consuming sugary drinks. On Bonaire, 43% drank sugary drinks at least five days per week, compared with 50% on Saba and 60% on St. Eustatius. Roughly half of those who consumed high-sugar drinks reported having two or more per day on average.
Vaping was also more common than smoking among young people on Bonaire and Saba. In 2024, 13% of students on Bonaire and 10% on Saba reported vaping, while the number of smokers was lower. On St. Eustatius, around 5% of students smoked and/or vaped.
Leisure and screen time
The survey also asked students about how they spend their leisure time, which activities they enjoyed, whether they were invited to join others, screen time, reading habits, boredom, household tasks, and care responsibilities.
Playing video games is a popular activity. In 2024, 46% of students on Bonaire and Saba reported playing video games often, while 53% of students on St. Eustatius did the same. Boys, in particular, played far more, with the largest gender gap on Saba: 72% of boys played often compared to 20% of girls.
Meeting friends outside was popular across all islands. Participation in after-school activities was highest on Saba (39%), compared with Bonaire (10%) and St. Eustatius (18%), with lack of interest cited as the main reason for non-participation.
Most students felt socially included. On Bonaire, 73% agreed they were invited to go out and do things with others. On Saba and St. Eustatius, the figures were 58% and 71%, respectively. About 1 in 10 students on each island disagreed completely with this statement.
Students spent an average of more than six hours per day on computers, tablets, or smartphones (excluding school or work use): 6.4 hours on Bonaire, 7.9 hours on Saba, and 8.8 hours on St. Eustatius. A quarter of students had not read or listened to a book in their free time in the previous year. Only 19% of students on Saba and 9% on both Bonaire and St. Eustatius read books daily. The majority did not visit a library.
Half of the students reported being sometimes bored, while smaller percentages felt often bored: 29% on Bonaire, 36% on Saba, and 40% on St. Eustatius. Girls on Bonaire were slightly more likely than boys to feel bored, while on Saba and St. Eustatius, responses were similar between sexes.
Most students carried out one or more household tasks in the previous week. Students on Bonaire spent an average of 4.1 hours, those on Saba 3.1 hours, and those on St. Eustatius 3.9 hours. Washing dishes was the most common task. Only a small number had not done any household tasks: 10% on Bonaire and St. Eustatius, and 7% on Saba.
Many students also helped care for relatives or acquaintances. On St. Eustatius, 46% helped with care for relatives or acquaintances, and 43% assisted other children in the household. On Saba, the figures were 34% and 38%, and on Bonaire 27% and 28%, respectively. Tasks included cleaning, washing, dressing, providing company or transport, and other household chores.
Plans for the future
Studying was the most commonly mentioned plan for the future. In 2024, more than half of students on Saba indicated they wanted to continue their studies after obtaining their school diploma. On Bonaire and St. Eustatius, the percentages were 42 and 48, respectively.
The majority of remaining students either wanted to find a job or start their own business. A small share was unsure: 15% on Bonaire and Saba, and 18% on St. Eustatius.
A large majority of students said they wanted to leave their island in the future. This was true for 91% of students on Saba and St. Eustatius, and 81% on Bonaire. The most common reasons for leaving were to study and to see more of the world.
Most students reported receiving good guidance on life decisions. In 2024, 79% of students on Bonaire, 76% on Saba, and 77% on St. Eustatius completely agreed with the statement, “I get good advice about the important things in life.” Fewer than 5% on any island disagreed or strongly disagreed.
More information, including the full 2024 Student Survey results, the Youth Monitor, and campaign materials in three languages, is available on the CBS Caribbean Netherlands website.
