EurLIFE European Observatory on Quality of Life

Results of survey data analysis as well as qualitative research in the field of quality of life and public services are made accessible through the EurLIFE observatory. Its work is supported by a Network of Eurofound Correspondents across all EU Member States and Norway. 

EurLIFE focuses on the following main topic areas.

Living conditions and quality of life

Living conditions and quality of life is one of the six main activities in Eurofound’s work programme for the 2021–2024 period. Eurofound will continue to map and analyse key aspects related to the improvement of living conditions of people in Europe, including information on their perception of quality of life and society.

Promoting social cohesion and convergence

Promoting social cohesion and convergence is one of the six main activities in Eurofound’s work programme for the 2021–2024 period. Eurofound will continue to operate as a centre of expertise for monitoring and analysing the key trends and determinants of achieving upward convergence in living and working conditions and strengthening economic and social cohesion in the EU.

Public services

Public services are essential for achieving high levels of social protection, social cohesion and social inclusion. But it is the quality of and access to services that determines their success across a changing social and demographic landscape. The challenge for policymakers is to ensure the design and delivery of health and social services that meet the varied needs of citizens.

COVID-19

Eurofound’s work on COVID-19 examines the far-reaching socioeconomic implications of the pandemic across Europe as they continue to impact living and working conditions. A key element of the research is the e-survey Living, working and COVID-19, launched in April 2020, with five rounds completed at different stages during 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is complemented by the inclusion of research into the ongoing effects of the pandemic in much of Eurofound’s other areas of work.

Featured - People with disabilities and the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey

A new European Disability Strategy was launched in 2021 with the aim of intensifying progress on ensuring the full participation of people with  disabilities in society. The increase of EU policy focus on people with disabilities is timely: the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the challenges they faced in many spheres of their lives.

This policy brief explores the situation of Europeans with disabilities during the pandemic. Using data from the third round of the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, conducted in February–March 2021, it compares the situation of respondents with and without disabilities in four areas: access to healthcare, mental well-being, financial situation and optimism about the future. The analyses show that on all indicators the situation of people with disabilities was significantly worse.