Press release, 9 February 2006
High overall life satisfaction levels in Finland but general dissatisfaction over pay
Most Finns regard their working conditions as favourable, but only a few consider themselves well paid, according to a report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the Dublin-based EU agency. The report will be presented to the Finnish government, social partners and civil society in Helsinki today.
Finland boasts one of the highest levels of overall life satisfaction and happiness in Europe, according to results from the first European Quality of Life Survey. Only 19% of Finns experience stress at work, compared to an average of 47% across the former EU15 countries. The report also found Finns to be quite satisfied with their own health, as well as with the quality of health and social services in Finland.
However, the report reveals that only a quarter of the Finnish population (24%) consider themselves to be well paid, in contrast to an average level of 43% in the former EU15 countries. Significantly, one in five Finns (21%) says they cannot afford a week’s annual holiday, a higher than average figure in the other former EU15 countries.
‘In the majority of findings from the European Quality of Life survey, Finland compares well with the other 25 EU Member States, and many Finns consider themselves as having relatively favourable working conditions,’ says Jorma Karppinen, the Foundation’s Director. ‘However, there are issues around economic deprivation and high levels of chronic illness, which need to be addressed. This report should support policymakers and practitioners in their work to tackle these issues.’
The Foundation’s European Quality of Life Survey recorded twice as many people in Finland (38%) with long-term illness or disability compared to levels in the former EU15 countries (20%), with particularly high levels in the 18-24 age group.
The representative survey, based on 26,000 face-to-face interviews across 28 European countries, sheds light on living conditions, subjective well-being and individual perceptions of society.
Read more on the European Quality of Life Survey
For further information, contact:
- Måns Mårtensson, Press Officer, by email, or telephone +353-1-204 3124 or mobile +353-876-593 507