The Hague, 30 July 2018, International Day of Friendship - 1 in 5 Dutch people would like to have more friends. This is clear from research conducted by PostNL, carried out by Direct Research among around 1,000 Dutch people. Friends who listen, are honest and genuine, and who we feel comfortable with, are most valued.
Almost half of all Dutch people have 1 to 5 friends. 28% are lucky enough to have 6-10 friends, 1 in 10 have up to 15 friendships, and 7% have more than 16 people that they would consider to be friends. Nevertheless, 1 in 5 Dutch people would like more friends. Friends are important for the Dutch. So much so that a quarter of all people believe friends are more important than family. We are also trusted friends. Marieke Schoon, manager of Market management at PostNL: “Long term friendships last for an average of 29 years. How lovely! I have had 2 friends since I was a child.”
How do friends make each other feel important? The majority indicate that it means being there for each other when needed. Half of the Dutch ring their friends regularly. And 1 in 5 express their gratitude by paying when they go out. Marieke: “And how lovely to see that: 63% of Dutch people sometimes receive a card from their friends, for a birthday, birth or death. This clearly shows that the postal service is still very much appreciated at important moments.”
Not every friendship stays the course, however. The top 5 reasons for a friendship ending: uses up too much energy (38%), only interested in themselves (33%), no longer have the same interests (20%), lying (17%) and gossiping (11%). Also interesting: 11% of Dutch people think that your friends pay you too little attention, while 16% think that you don’t pay enough attention to your friends. “It’s a great reason to regularly send a card isn’t it?”, adds Marieke.