Eurofound logo
hero section
European Quality of Life Surveys (EQLS)

Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) documents living conditions and people’s social situation, and explores issues pertinent to the lives of European citizens.

Forthcoming: European Quality of Life Survey 2026

Preparations for the fifth edition of Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) are underway. This survey edition will be fielded in all EU27 Member States in autumn 2026. The survey will be fielded using a fully self-administered, sequential mixed-mode design, in which invitations for online completion are followed by invitations to complete the survey on paper. There will also be a small transition design, which entails 700 face-to-face interviews each in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.

Watch this space for further information. A background conceptual framework paper is due to be published towards the end of 2025.

This section provides further information targeted in particular at researchers.

Additional information will be published in this section.

Eurofound experts

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

Daphne Ahrendt

Senior research manager
Social policies research

Daphne Ahrendt is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. She is the coordinator of the survey management and development activity. In 2020, she initiated Eurofound’s Living and Working in the EU e-survey and now leads the 2026 European Quality of Life Survey, which she has worked on since the survey started in 2003. With over 30 years of experience in international survey research, she is also a member of the GESIS Scientific Advisory Board. Beyond surveys, her substantive research focuses on social cohesion, trust and the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Daphne started her career at the National Centre for Social Research in London where she worked on the International Social Survey Programme before moving to the Eurobarometer Unit at the European Commission. She holds a Master's degree in Criminal Justice Policies from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University.

Eszter Sándor

Senior research manager
Social policies research

Eszter Sandor is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. She has extensive experience in survey management, including questionnaire design and scripting, data preparation (processing, cleaning, weighting), and statistical analysis using R. She manages Eurofound’s e-survey (Living and working in the EU) and contributes to the preparation and management of the European Quality of Life Survey. Her research focuses on the quality of life of young people and families, including subjective well-being, mental well-being and living conditions.
Before joining Eurofound, she worked as an economic consultant in Scotland, specialising in economic impact assessments, evaluations, and input-output analysis. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Budapest University of Economics and Business and a Master’s degree in Economics and International Relations from Corvinus University of Budapest.

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