Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tweet[IWS] Dublin Foundation: THIRD EUROPEAN QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY--QUALITY OF LIFE IN EUROPE: IMPACTS OF THE CRISIS [29 November 2012]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
Third European Quality of Life Survey - Quality of life in Europe: Impacts of the crisis [29 November 2012]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef1264.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2012/64/en/1/EF1264EN.pdf
[full-text, 168 pages]
Author: | Anderson, Robert; Dubois, Hans; Leoncikas, Tadas; Sándor, Eszter |
Summary: | What determines life satisfaction and happiness? How do we value our social situation and immediate surroundings? How has this changed with the economic crisis? For the third wave of the European Quality of Life survey, 35,500 Europeans in all EU Member States were interviewed, in an effort to gain insights to these questions. This overview report presents findings and trends and shows that the impacts of the recession are indeed noticeable and measurable in some areas, while in others there are more long-term developments to be observed. While overall life satisfaction levels have not changed much, optimism about the future and trust in institutions have declined markedly in those countries most affected by the downturn. And groups that were already vulnerable – the long-term unemployed, older people in central and eastern Europe and single parents – report the highest levels of material deprivation and dissatisfaction with their life situation. An executive summary is also available. |
CONTENTS
Executive summary 7
Introduction 9
Quality of life in the economic downturn 9
Eurofound's approach: Concept and measurement 10
Policy significance of monitoring and analysing quality of life 10
Methodology and implementation 12
Aim and contents of report 12
Chapter 1: Subjective well-being 16
Policy context 16
Country and socioeconomic differences 17
Drivers of life satisfaction 25
Other subjective well-being measures 28
Main changes in satisfaction levels 30
Chapter 2: Living standards and deprivation 38
Policy context 38
Ability to make ends meet 39
Household debts 40
Standards of living and material deprivation 42
Changes in standards of living 45
Income insecurity 48
Chapter 3: Employment and work–life balance 54
Policy context 54
Employment and unemployment 54
Weekly working hours 55
Unpaid work: care and housework 56
Working time arrangements 59
Work–life balance 60
Changes in work-life balance 63
Chapter 4: Family and social life 68
Policy context 68
Household size and composition in the EQLS 68
Contact with family members and friends 69
Sources of support 72
Satisfaction with family life and social life 74
Main changes 2007–2011 74
Chapter 5: Social exclusion and community involvement 80
Policy context 80
Perceived social exclusion 81
Community involvement 87
Chapter 6: Home, housing and local environment 98
Policy context 98
Local neighbourhood 98
Home and housing 104
Changes in home, housing and local environment 109
Chapter 7: Public services, health and health care 114
Policy context 114
Health and health care 115
Perceived quality of public services 119
Access to public services 122
Changes in public services, health and health care 127
Chapter 8: Quality of society 132
Policy context 132
Trust in people 132
Trust in public institutions 135
Perceived social tensions 138
Changes in trust and perception of tensions 142
Chapter 9: Concluding messages 146
Added value of the EQLS 146
Monitoring change over time 146
Consistent social inequalities 147
Convergence and divergence 148
Policy pointers 149
Future perspectives 150
References 151
Annex 1: Survey methodology 155
Annex 2: Additional resources 163
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.