• Areas of Expertise:
  • Business and society
  • Diversity
  • Employment status
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Human capital
  • Industrial change
  • Industrial relations
  • Labour market
  • Participation at work
  • Population and society
  • Quality of life
  • Quality of work
  • Social cohesion
  • Social protection
  • Time
  • Work-life balance
  • Work organisation

Quality of life in Europe

Eurobarometer survey, acceding and candidate countries, 2002

Low income and deprivation in an enlarged Europe

Read the full report (summary also available)

Income, health and family most important factors for quality of life

In 24 out of the 28 countries, income is ranked the most important factor likely to improve the current quality of life. Low GDP per capita, widespread poverty and unemployment are also found to be among the strongest influences on people’s perceptions of social exclusion.

ACC poorer than EU 15 citizens in absolute terms…

ACC citizens declare a lower mean household income than those living in the EU 15. Reported average household incomes are more than 10 times greater in the richer countries such as Denmark and Luxembourg compared to their poorer counterparts in Latvia and Lithuania. Reported income is even lower in Bulgaria and Romania.

… although income is shared more equally in ACC than EU 15

The EU’s top quartile (the richest part of the population) has almost four times more income than the bottom (the poorest) quartile. The corresponding ratio in the AC 10 is only a 3.5 times differential. Some of the most egalitarian countries in the AC 10 (Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary) compare favourably in terms of income distribution with egalitarian countries such as Sweden and Denmark.

More information

• Read the synthesis report: Perceptions of living conditions in an enlarged Europe (résumé also available)
• See also the descriptive report of basic findings from the first European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS)