The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) is a representative, questionnaire-based household survey series. It represents an ambitious attempt to explore quality of life in a wide range of European countries. It is a major source of information, highlighting the challenges the EU faces in the light of recent enlargement. The survey enables an accurate picture of the social situation in the enlarged EU to be drawn, a picture that includes both objective and subjective elements. At the same time, it should be noted that there are some limitations to the data. While the sample sizes of around 1,000 per country provide a general population profile, they are too small to allow for detailed analysis of sub-groups, such as immigrants or single-parent families. Furthermore, although the wide range of topics covered by the survey is on the one hand a clear advantage, it also means that none of the topics could be treated in great depth. Some of the dimensions are measured with a narrower set of indicators than one would use in highly specialised surveys. However, the strength of the survey is that it provides a synthesis of information on the main aspects of quality of life, both objective and subjective.
Further information about the survey can be found on the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (also known as Eurofound or EFILWC) EQLS web pages.
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The survey series examines a range of issues, such as employment, income, education, housing, family, health, work-life balance, life satisfaction and perceived quality of society.
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