Living conditions and quality of life

In 2025, Eurofound’s annual update on convergence and living conditions in Europe places a special focus on emerging trends and new challenges that Europe is facing. The Agency continues to monitor economic and social inequalities among sociodemographic groups and geographical entities. In this regard, Eurofound plans to carry out new research on regional convergence, expanding the work done in the previous programming period.

Work concluding during 2025 includes:

• investigation of care provision and the role of informal carers
• analysis of policy actions undertaken to prevent and address mental health problems in Europe
• research on trends, risks and opportunities of digitalisation in social protection
• a study on the implementation of the European Child Guarantee, with a special emphasis on the workforce
• research on the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wealth inequality
• analysis of social cohesion and new forms of inclusive participation
• evidence on the socioeconomic impact of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy

Research commences on a number of other topics.

• Caring for care services: Focusing in 2025 on access to care services, including childcare, healthcare and long-term care
• Social protection: Focusing on children and the European Child Guarantee, producing an overview of the implementation of the European Child Guarantee in the EU Member States and updating the European Child Guarantee Monitor
• European Green Deal: Investigating the social implications of the green transition on the cost of living, housing and transport
• Social cohesion: Analysing the level of support from citizens for the green transition and its implications for social cohesion, using data from the Living and Working in the EU e-survey
• Geographical disparities and convergence: Investigating the trends in and dynamics of disparities between Member States and regions across economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions

Tadas Leončikas, Head of the Employment Unit

2025 marks the first year of the five-year period of the EU policy and legislative cycle for 2025–2029. The various strands of work in this research activity, including the research on the impact of the cost of living, housing, public services, vulnerable groups and the European Child Guarantee, aims to support the work of EU policymakers in monitoring and implementing the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The EU agenda on promoting inclusive and accessible social services for citizens is supported by research on public services, with a focus on care services. This work feeds into the EU’s objective of ensuring high-quality and sustainable care provision throughout the EU as per the European Care Strategy and the Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health.

The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disability 2021–2030 could benefit from Eurofound’s work on the social and employment inclusion of people with disabilities.

Social protection research could inform the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion and the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed.

The European Green Deal could be informed by Eurofound’s investigation of the social impact of the green transition, its impact on energy poverty and social cohesion, and the citizen consensus around it. And the European AI Strategy is supported by the work on the impact of AI on European societies and related living conditions, while the EU digital agenda is informed by Eurofound’s work on e-healthcare and the living conditions of platform and ICT-based mobile workers.