Living conditions and quality of life
Living conditions and quality of life is one of Eurofound's main operational activities for the 2025–2028 programming period. Building on the past 50 years of research, Eurofound continues to monitor living conditions, cohesion and convergence in Europe, aiming to map and analyse key elements for the improvement of living conditions, including people’s perceptions of quality of life and society.
Research focus
Eurofound’s priorities for 2025–2028 are shaped by the opportunities and challenges arising from four mega-drivers: demographic change, climate change, technological change and re-globalisation. Research in this activity examines the social implications of the transition to a climate-neutral economy, focusing on sustainable behaviours, distributional effects and social cohesion, drawing on data from the Living and Working in the EU e-survey. The Agency continues to monitor economic and social inequalities among sociodemographic groups and geographical entities.
Eurofound also examines the social impact of technological change and artificial intelligence, including the digital divide and the living conditions of those working in new forms of work. The research focuses on different groups and also examines their needs and access to public services and social protection.
The next iteration of the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), to be fielded in 2026, offers a new perspective on the impact of the four mega-drivers and the compounded challenges on quality of life and material living conditions in Europe.
Events
High-level conference on disability: Independent living in tomorrow’s Europe
High-level conference on affordable and sustainable housing
Informal meeting of the Social Protection Committee (SPC)
Social inclusion and independent functioning of people with disabilities in the EU
Informal session of the Social Protection Committee (SPC)
All content
This list provides access to all Eurofound outputs published on this subject.
Eurofound experts
Massimiliano Mascherini
Head of UnitMassimiliano 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 projects on youth employment, NEETs and their social inclusion, as well as on the labour market participation of women. In 2017, he became a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit where he spearheaded new research on monitoring convergence in the EU. In addition to work on the European Quality of Life Survey, he also leads the preparation and analysis of the COVID-19 e-surveys. Previously, he was scientific officer at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. He studied at the University of Florence, where he majored in actuarial and statistical sciences and attained a PhD in Applied Statistics. He has been visiting fellow at the University of Sydney and at Aalborg University and visiting professor at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Topics of expertise
Hans Dubois
Senior research managerHans Dubois is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. His research topics include housing, over-indebtedness, healthcare, long-term care, social benefits, retirement, and quality of life in the local area. Prior to joining Eurofound, he was Assistant Professor at Kozminski University (Warsaw). He completed a PhD in Business Administration and Management at Bocconi University (Milan), after working as a research officer at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (Madrid).
Topics of expertise
