In the run-up to the (early) House of Representatives elections of November 2023, various issue owners will speak out who are committed to getting important issues on the political agenda. The reason for this series is the growing recognition of the importance of social issues and the active role that various organizations play in influencing policymakers and politicians.
The fifth interview features Max Kosian, one of the participants of the National Think Tank 2023 (NDT). Every year, the National Think Tank brings together 20 young thinkers and doers from different study backgrounds to tackle a social problem. This year the theme is: the aging wave in the Netherlands. How does this organization ensure attention is paid to their issue during the upcoming elections?
“If attention is paid to the elderly, it is mainly about the aging population in healthcare and the housing crisis.”
Which issues are relevant to your organization in the run-up to the elections?
The social issue of the National Think Tank 2023 is 'Meaningful aging'. This is an urgent theme because the Netherlands will be aging rapidly between now and 2040, but the necessary actions and acceleration are not being taken. The National Think Tank wants to make an impact and focuses on those bottlenecks that are underexposed, stuck and where we think we can move. That is why the sub-topics this year are: meaning, suitable living environment, labor market participation and preparing for growing older.
Do you think that your social issue will be on the political agenda during this election period? And are you actively working on this as an organization?
We see that it is still not very much on the political agenda. Our research shows that older people are only mentioned 19 times in the current coalition agreement, while young people are mentioned 65 times and politicians mention themselves 21 times! If attention is paid to the elderly, it is mainly about the aging of the population in healthcare and the housing crisis. Little attention is paid to meaning, an appropriate living environment, labor market participation and preparation for growing older. The party programs of the major parties all focus on the consequences of aging for healthcare, but do not look beyond this. As NDT'23, we are actively working to put the broad implications of aging on the agenda, with the help of Issuemakers and others.
Has the issue your organization is dealing with received more attention during this election period? And in what way?
In our opinion, something strange is going on regarding the theme of aging. The theme is not as such on the political agenda. In fact, the major consequences of aging for healthcare and the housing market are also not on the agenda. While many voters indicate that healthcare is the most important issue in these elections. This has also been noted by other parties such as NRC, NOS and Actiz. The aging population therefore has a major impact on society and voters consider the consequences of aging for healthcare to be the most important issue, but politicians still do not dare to talk about it. All this has led to the theme receiving much less attention than expected.
What should voters pay attention to if they find your issue and social theme important?
The crux of the matter is that politicians currently do not (dare to) talk about the issues that voters find most important. That is why voters and the media will have to continue to question politicians closely. Only if voters demand that politicians are honest about the difficult choices that the Netherlands will face in the next 25 years can we deal with this enormous social change. But that also requires a strong attitude from voters: only if we are willing to accept that we cannot continue on the path we are on can we prepare for a better future. A good example of this is elderly care. At the moment, any discussion about the elderly is limited to elderly care. This is also where most money is spent. The research by the National Think Tank 2023 shows that a broader view is required. For example: how do we ensure that the elderly do not fall below the subsistence minimum? How do we help elderly people who want to move? And how do we ensure sufficient social bonding between young people and the elderly in neighborhoods? The National Think Tank 2023 will present concrete solutions on December 12 that can also be useful after the elections, when making plans concrete.
