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Quality of society

The quality of society has a major impact on well-being and quality of life. In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, trust among Europeans in society and its institutions declined, causing concerns about economic and social insecurity, perceived inequalities, societal tensions and lack of fairness. With the economic recovery, trust in institutions has also recovered. However, improving the social fabric and citizen engagement remain significant for both individual quality of life and resilience of society as a whole.

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This report investigates the political dimensions of social cohesion in Europe, offering a 20-year perspective derived from 10 rounds of the European Social Survey. It scrutinises trends and regional variations...

26 Abril 2024
Publication
Research report

Eurofound research

The lives of individuals are intertwined with others, and thus relationships with people in a person’s household, local community and beyond, as well as with institutions and services, play a fundamental role in their quality of life. One reason for the emphasis on the quality of society in Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) is the significance of the social and institutional environment – mapping access to collective as well as individual resources.

To examine the quality of society, the EQLS provides information on perceived social exclusion, sense of belonging, trust in people and institutions, satisfaction with democracy and economy, societal tensions between different groups, economic and social insecurity, as well as lack of personal safety. The survey also contains indicators on social cohesion – participation in social activities, voluntary work and civic and political involvement. 

The EQLS 2016, the fourth survey to date, has expanded on the examination of citizens’ perceptions of the quality of society, and in particular the quality, access and fairness of public services. 

  • Exploring wealth and transmission of (dis-) advantage in the context of social mobility, with the possibility to inform policymakers about equality of opportunity and fairness in society 
  • Report to examine fairness and optimism for the future and their relationship to people’s perceptions and realities (objective indicators of social and economic situation and living standards)

Key outputs

Cover image for Eurofound's publication entitled 'Maintaining trust during the COVID-19 pandemic'

The report examines how citizens’ trust in institutions – including national governments, the EU, science and the media – evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The role...

16 Noviembre 2022
Publication
Research report
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Following a long recovery from the economic crisis (2007–2013), young people in the EU proved to be more vulnerable to the effects of the restrictions put in place to slow...

9 Noviembre 2021
Publication
Research report
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This report explores the distribution of household wealth in the EU Member States and analyses the role of wealth in social mobility. Using data from three datasets (the Household Finance...

30 Marzo 2021
Publication
Research report
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Quality of life data show that in most countries, the capital city has advantages compared to the regions outside the capital. In light of the continued growth of capital city...

27 Enero 2020
Publication
Policy brief
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This report provides an analysis of European societies in terms of social cohesion – in particular, social tensions, perceived social exclusion and community engagement are explored as key dimensions. It...

13 Noviembre 2018
Publication
Research report

EU context

Recent policy measures at EU level have addressed the participation of older people and encouraged active ageing. Dealing with the high level of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs), youth disengagement and its effects have also been on the agenda. Promoting participation in society has also been shown to play a role in combating social exclusion. EU policies acknowledge the importance of citizen engagement for both the quality of society in Member States and the European project itself.

The Commission’s Social Investment Package calls on Member States to prioritise social investment and to focus on growth and social cohesion in the form of active inclusion strategies and more effective use of social budgets to allow people to participate in society. Through the European Semester process, the Commission will closely monitor the social protection systems of Member States and offer country-specific recommendations where necessary.

The European Pillar of Social Rights, endorsed in November 2017, also emphasises the importance of equal opportunities for all to access the labour market and fully participate in society. 

Eurofound’s work on quality of society links in with the Commission’s 2019–2024 priority on a new push for European democracy. 

 

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Massimiliano Mascherini has been Head of the Social Policies unit at Eurofound since October 2019. He joined Eurofound in 2009 as a research manager, designing and coordinating...

Head of Unit,
Social policies research unit
Publications results (53)

This report investigates the political dimensions of social cohesion in Europe, offering a 20-year perspective derived from 10 rounds of the European Social Survey. It scrutinises trends and regional variations in political participation, examining correlations with levels of institutional distrust

26 April 2024

The urban-rural divide in EU countries has grown in recent years, and the depopulation of certain rural areas in favour of cities is a challenge when it comes to promoting economic development and maintaining social cohesion and convergence.

18 October 2023

En el informe se examina cómo evolucionó la confianza de los ciudadanos en las instituciones —incluidos los gobiernos nacionales, la UE, la ciencia y los medios de comunicación— durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en 2020 y 2021. Se analiza el papel de los medios de comunicación, en particular la

16 November 2022

La calidad de las instituciones es un factor clave para lograr una convergencia económica y social al alza en la UE, ya que resulta fundamental para hacer crecer la economía, atraer inversión extranjera, garantizar la aplicación de políticas y reformas y facilitar el acceso a los fondos de la UE

07 November 2022

Tras una larga recuperación de la crisis económica de 2007-2013, los jóvenes de la UE mostraron ser más vulnerables a los efectos de las restricciones aplicadas para frenar la propagación de la pandemia de COVID-19. Los jóvenes tuvieron más probabilidades que los grupos de mayor edad de ser objeto

09 November 2021

Durante más de una década, la incertidumbre sobre el futuro ha ido en aumento en la mayor parte de la UE. Mucha gente cree que la sociedad está en declive, lo que ha dado lugar a un sentimiento general de pesimismo. ¿Existe un vínculo entre el auge de la popularidad de los partidos antisistema y el

16 September 2021

El presente informe analiza la distribución de la riqueza de los hogares en los Estados miembros de la UE y analiza el papel de la riqueza en la movilidad social. Utilizando la información procedente de tres conjuntos de datos (la Encuesta sobre la Situación Financiera y el Consumo de los Hogares

30 March 2021

Los datos sobre la calidad de vida ponen de manifiesto que, en la mayor parte de los países, las capitales presentan ventajas en relación con las demás regiones. A la luz del continuo crecimiento de las poblaciones de las capitales y la cantidad de recursos que concentran, el presente informe de

27 January 2020

Demographic change, social progress and economic cycles have impacted household composition in Europe. This report provides an overview of household types in the European Union, how they have changed over the period 2007–2017 and how household type relates to outcomes in terms of living conditions

19 December 2019

What have been the major developments in quality of life and public services in Europe in recent years, as captured by research into these areas in Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020? This flagship publication provides a synthesis of the main findings on several key topics, based, in part, on

22 October 2019

Online resources results (1)

European Quality of Life Survey 2016 New results for the EU candidate countries Event on Improving quality of life in Europe – Sharing data to shape better policies, 26 June 2018, Belgrade, Serbia Presentation by Tadas Leončikas, Senior Research Manager, Eurofound

26 Junio 2018
Blogs results (4)
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Today is Europe Day, and one hundred young people from Ireland and Ukraine will be marking the event at Eurofound, in peaceful south Dublin. Europe Day has traditionally been seen as a celebration of peace and unity in Europe, but, unfortunately, it must be marked differently this year. Europe Day 2

9 Mayo 2022
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Vaccine acceptance is key to the success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns worldwide. Worryingly, over a quarter of people living in Europe are hesitant about taking a COVID-19 vaccine, and the level of hesitancy is especially high among heavy users of social media. The spread of misinformation on s

23 Junio 2021
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Depopulation of rural areas and the concentration of employment and education opportunities in urban centres is a fact of modern life. What impact does this have on the quality of life of rural residents? Do they feel increasingly isolated, and what are the emerging trends? New research by Eurofound

8 Mayo 2019
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Equality of opportunity and upward social mobility are important aspects of the European social model. Until quite recently concerns about rising inequalities were often countered by assurances about protecting social mobility, and the assertion that an individual’s status is mainly down to their wo

26 Abril 2017

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