Kwaliteit van de samenleving
De kwaliteit van de samenleving heeft een grote invloed op het welzijn en de kwaliteit van leven. In de nasleep van de wereldwijde economische crisis nam het vertrouwen van de Europeanen in de samenleving en haar instellingen af, wat leidde tot bezorgdheid over economische en sociale onzekerheid, vermeende ongelijkheden, maatschappelijke spanningen en gebrek aan rechtvaardigheid. Met het economisch herstel is ook het vertrouwen in de instellingen hersteld. Het verbeteren van het sociale weefsel en de betrokkenheid van burgers blijft echter belangrijk voor zowel de individuele levenskwaliteit als de veerkracht van de samenleving als geheel.
Vind hieronder de nieuwste inhoud over dit onderwerp.
The roots of Europe's mental health crisis run deep
This article looks at the trends, the groups at risk, the services and policies in the area of mental health. The European Commission’s communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health, adopted in June 2023, aims to place mental health on an equal footing with physical health and ensure a new, cross-sectoral approach to mental health issues. But, solutions must be sought not only narrowly within mental health care, but also in improving living and working conditions and facilitating social and economic inclusion.Quality of life in the EU in 2024: Results from the Living and Working in the EU e-survey
Eurofound’s e-survey captures the situation of European respondents and their post-pandemic concerns. This factsheet outlines the most recent data on the main challenges faced by Europeans, with a particular emphasis on the rising cost of living, health and mental health, access to healthcare services, work–life balance, and changes in telework opportunities. View the publication or read the findings in digital format via the related content.
Monitoring van geografische verschillen: Regionale convergentie
Dit rapport onderzoekt het 'recht om te blijven' in EU-regio's en onderzoekt waarom sommige gemeenschappen floreren terwijl andere achteruitgaan. Door het probleem te onderzoeken in zes cruciale aspecten – toegang tot essentiële diensten, arbeidsmarktkansen, milieukwaliteit, digitale connectiviteit, beschikbaarheid van huisvesting en institutionele effectiviteit – brengt het onderzoek de combinatie van factoren in kaart die mensen aanmoedigen te blijven of hen wegjagen.Dit is een selectie van de meest relevante resultaten voor dit onderwerp.
16 November 2022
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 of the media is analysed, in particular the relationship between the use of social media and trust and the impact of misinformation (incorrect or misleading information) and disinformation (deliberately deceptive information) during the crisis period. Based on an extensive literature review, the report describes the consequences of COVID-19 policy measures, with a focus on citizens’ trust in their national institutions and in the EU. The report outlines the dynamics of trust and discontent in the context of the pandemic, including the influence of the vaccination roll-out.
9 November 2021
Impact of COVID-19 on young people in the EU
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 the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people were more likely than older groups to experience job loss, financial insecurity and mental health problems. They reported reduced life satisfaction and mental well-being associated with the stay-at-home requirements and school closures. While governments responded quickly to the pandemic, most efforts to mitigate the effects of restrictions were temporary measures aimed at preventing job loss and keeping young people in education. This report explores the effects of the pandemic on young people, particularly in terms of their employment, well-being and trust in institutions, and assesses the various policy measures introduced to alleviate these effects.
16 September 2021
Towards the future of Europe: Social factors shaping optimism and pessimism among citizens
For more than a decade, uncertainty about the future in most parts of the EU has been growing. Many people believe society is in decline and this has given rise to a general sense of pessimism. Is there a link between the rising popularity of anti-establishment parties and increasing pessimism? These negative sentiments could adversely affect the political climate within individual Member States and also undermine the legitimacy of the European project. This report identifies the key drivers of people’s perceptions about the future and explores whether optimists and pessimists differ in their socioeconomic, cultural and political characteristics. To examine the extent to which optimists and pessimists behave and feel differently, the report looks at their socioeconomic and sociopolitical profiles. Finally, it explores how the level of optimism differs in the Member States in relation to country context. The analyses use data from before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the results demonstrate the importance of monitoring how people’s feelings about the future evolve during the recovery from the crisis.
30 March 2021
Wealth distribution and social mobility
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 and Consumption Survey, the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Luxembourg Wealth Study), it focuses on wealth per household member. Wealth composition is compared across social groups and countries, and the role of housing assets in wealth distribution and negative wealth is assessed. The findings show that parental background, including parental wealth, has an impact on educational and wealth mobility. In order to promote equality of opportunities in terms of access to education and housing, the impact of wealth inequalities, including differences in parental wealth, should be counterbalanced. The report also suggests that regularising wealth declaration in the EU could be a way of promoting social justice by minimising hidden wealth and combating tax evasion.
27 January 2020
What makes capital cities the best places to live?
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 populations and the concentration of resources within them, this policy brief explores the source of the advantages of capital cities in quality of life. Are these advantages mostly related to specific demographics that these cities nurture and attract? Or do these advantages stem from opportunities that major cities provide due to their scale and economic growth?
The policy brief aims to clarify why policy should focus on both the economy and society when it comes to advancing economic, social and territorial cohesion.
12 November 2018
Social cohesion and well-being in Europe
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 analyses the links between societal characteristics (quality of society) and well-being of different social groups. The analysis looks at how perceived levels of societal tensions have changed in European societies over time (2003–2016). It also examines which dimensions of social cohesion are most important for individual well-being. The report is based on data from Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey 2016, the fourth survey since 2003.
De onderzoekers van Eurofound bieden deskundige inzichten en kunnen worden gecontacteerd voor vragen of mediaverzoeken.
Daphne Ahrendt
Senior research managerDaphne Ahrendt is senior onderzoeksmanager bij de eenheid Sociaal Beleid van Eurofound. Sinds ze in 2013 bij Eurofound in dienst trad, heeft ze zich beziggehouden met een breed scala aan sociale beleidsterreinen. Momenteel coördineert zij de activiteiten van Eurofound op het gebied van het beheer en de ontwikkeling van enquêtes en leidt zij de voorbereiding en analyse van de COVID-19 e-enquêtes. Daphne heeft meer dan 20 jaar ervaring als onderzoeker bij internationale enquêtes, en werkte eerder bij de Eurobarometer-eenheid van de Europese Commissie en bij het National Centre for Social Research in Londen, waar ze werkte aan het International Social Survey Programme. Daphne heeft een masterdiploma in strafrechtbeleid van de London School of Economics en een bachelordiploma in politieke wetenschappen van de San Francisco State University.
Massimiliano Mascherini
Head of UnitMassimiliano Mascherini is sinds oktober 2019 hoofd van de afdeling Sociaal Beleid bij Eurofound. Hij trad in 2009 in dienst bij Eurofound als onderzoeksmanager, waar hij projecten ontwierp en coördineerde over jeugdwerkgelegenheid, NEETs en gendergelijkheid. In 2017 werd hij senior onderzoeksmanager en leidde hij nieuw onderzoek naar monitoring van convergentie in de EU. Daarnaast leidde hij de conceptualisering van de Europese Levenskwaliteitsenquête van 2026. In 2025 ontving hij de Brendan Walsh-prijs voor het beste artikel gepubliceerd in Economic and Social Review. Eerder was hij wetenschappelijk medewerker bij het Joint Research Centre van de Europese Commissie. Hij studeerde aan de Universiteit van Florence, waar hij actuariële en statistische wetenschappen studeerde en een PhD behaalde in toegepaste statistiek. In 2014 behaalde hij een wetenschappelijke kwalificatie als universitair hoofddocent Sociale Statistiek en Demografie van het Italiaanse Ministerie van Universiteit en Onderzoek. Hij was gastonderzoeker aan de Universiteit van Sydney en aan de Universiteit van Aalborg en gastprofessor aan de Pauselijke Academie van Sociale Wetenschappen.
Dit gedeelte biedt toegang tot alle inhoud die over het onderwerp is gepubliceerd.
