hero section
Living and Working in the EU e-survey

Since its launch in 2020, Eurofound's unique Living and Working in the EU e-survey has provided an overview of the ever-changing developments in living and working since the onset of the pandemic, through the recovery measures and during a time of constant change.

Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey - Spring 2020

Eurofound's first launched its unique e-survey at the outset of the pandemic in April 2020 under the name Living, working and COVID-19. Running from 9 April 2020 to 11 June 2020, it attracted a large number of respondents, allowing for a timely and truly informative picture of the implications of COVID-19 on the living and working conditions of respondents across the EU. 

The survey examined quality of life and quality of society during the pandemic, with questions covering life satisfaction, happiness and optimism, health and levels of trust in institutions. It also focused on the work situation of respondents, their work–life balance and the widespread use of teleworking during the crisis.  

  • Round 1: The e-survey aimed to investigate the impact on well-being, work and telework and on the financial situation of people living in Europe

Launched in April 2020, when most European countries were in lockdown

67,392 respondents aged 18+ across the 27 EU Member States + the UK

E-survey, advertised on social media and snowball sampling

Questionnaire comprised 53 questions, available in 22 EU official languages

To display this data, use the filters below to select a question. Refine the results by selecting a country (or group of countries), apply additional filters (which vary throughout the surveys) or change the visualisation by selecting a preferred chart type.

Dashboard

Dashboard

  • Life satisfaction, happiness and optimism are below usual levels

  • Young people and those not working have lowest mental well-being

  • Trust in healthcare and the police higher than trust in governments, the media and the EU

  • 5% of respondents in EU27 reported losing their jobs permanently and 23% temporarily

  • Working time decreased for half of the working population

  • Almost 4 in 10 employees started teleworking

  • Work–life balance is challenging for workers with young children

  • Around 4 in 10 respondents are pessimistic about their financial situation

  • Over half of respondents have insufficient savings to cope without an income

  • Around half of all households report difficulties in making ends meet

This section provides further information targeted in particular at researchers.

Altro

6 May 2020

Living, working and COVID-19: First findings – April 2020

In the space of just a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has radically transformed the lives of people around the globe. Apart from the devastating health consequences on people directly affected by the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic has had major implications for the way people live and work, affecting their physical and mental well-being in a profound way. To capture the immediate economic and social effects of this crisis, Eurofound launched a large-scale online survey across the European Union and beyond on 9 April. Entitled Living, working and COVID-19, the aim of the survey is to investigate the impact on well-being, work and telework and on the financial situation of people living in Europe. It includes a range of questions relevant to people across various age groups and life situations. Most of the questions are based on Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) and European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), while other questions are new or were adapted from other sources, such as the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).

Methodology

The e-survey methodology is similar for all rounds of the survey.

Eurofound experts

You can contact the following experts for questions on the survey.

Eszter Sándor

Senior research manager
Social policies research

Eszter Sandor è senior research manager presso l'unità Politiche sociali di Eurofound. Ha esperienza nella metodologia delle indagini e nell'analisi statistica, ha lavorato alla preparazione e alla gestione dell'indagine europea sulla qualità della vita e, più recentemente, dell'indagine elettronica Living, working and COVID-19, ed è responsabile della qualità dei set di dati. Le sue aree di ricerca sono il benessere giovanile e la qualità della vita nelle famiglie e nelle famiglie, compreso il benessere soggettivo, l'equilibrio tra lavoro e vita privata e le condizioni di vita. In precedenza ha lavorato come consulente economico in Scozia, concentrandosi su valutazioni dell'impatto economico, valutazioni e analisi input-output. Ha conseguito un Master in Economia e Relazioni Internazionali presso l'Università Corvinus di Budapest.

Daphne Ahrendt

Senior research manager
Social policies research

Daphne Ahrendt è senior research manager presso l'unità Politiche sociali di Eurofound. Da quando è entrata a far parte di Eurofound nel 2013, il suo lavoro ha riguardato un'ampia gamma di settori della politica sociale. Attualmente coordina l'attività di gestione e sviluppo delle indagini di Eurofound e guida la preparazione e l'analisi delle indagini elettroniche sulla COVID-19. Daphne ha più di 20 anni di esperienza come ricercatrice che lavora su indagini internazionali, avendo precedentemente lavorato nell'unità Eurobarometro della Commissione europea e presso il National Centre for Social Research di Londra, dove ha lavorato all'International Social Survey Programme. Daphne ha conseguito un master in politiche di giustizia penale presso la London School of Economics e una laurea in scienze politiche presso la San Francisco State University.

Flag of the European UnionThis website is an official website of the European Union.
How do I know?
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies