A table comparing the cost of living in various European Union countries, including expenses for rent, utilities, food, and transportation in major cities

Geneva, Switzerland, was the most expensive city to buy an apartment in Europe in the first quarter of 2024. The square meter price in Geneva was nearly 15,650 euros in that quarter, about 2,000 euros higher than the second city in the ranking, Zurich. Cost of rent Rents across the major cities in Europe increased significantly in 2023. One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer-driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land, and construction costs, all help keep rental prices increasing. Mortgage rates The average mortgage interest rates across Europe in 2023 were all under five percent, except in Czechia, Romania, Hungary, and Poland. On an individual level, a difference of one percent would most likely mean thousands of euros in interest on the mortgage a person is paying, making timing key in house purchasing. Mortgage interest rates tend to be lower in Nordic countries due to the financial stability and reliability of its borrowers. Other factors that influence the mortgage interest rates include inflation, economic growth, monetary policies, the bond market and the overall conditions of the housing market. More stable markets also tend to have higher average prices.

According to a mid-2024 index, *********** was the most expensive country to live in Europe, with an index score of ****.******** followed in the second place with around ** points less.

Luxembourg stands out as the European leader in quality of life for 2025, achieving a score of 220 on the Quality of Life Index. The Netherlands follows closely behind with 211 points, while Albania and Ukraine rank at the bottom with scores of 104 and 115 respectively. This index provides a thorough assessment of living conditions across Europe, reflecting various factors that shape the overall well-being of populations and extending beyond purely economic metrics. Understanding the quality of life index The quality of life index is a multifaceted measure that incorporates factors such as purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, traffic conditions, and climate, to measure the overall quality of life of a Country. Higher overall index scores indicate better living conditions. However, in subindexes such as pollution, cost of living, and traffic commute time, lower values correspond to improved quality of life. Challenges affecting life satisfaction Despite the fact that European countries register high levels of life quality by for example leading the ranking of happiest countries in the world, life satisfaction across the European Union has been on a downward trend since 2018. The EU's overall life satisfaction score dropped from 7.3 out of 10 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2022. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges such as high inflation. Rising housing costs, in particular, have emerged as a critical concern, significantly affecting quality of life. This issue has played a central role in shaping voter priorities for the European Parliamentary Elections in 2024 and becoming one of the most pressing challenges for Europeans, profoundly influencing both daily experiences and long-term well-being.

Table showing the country rankings based in the different metrics analysed

High inflation driven by rising energy and food costs are causing a severe cost of living crisis in Europe. As of September 2022, the majority of people surveyed in seven European countries advised they had curbed their spending as a consquence, ranging from 69 percent in Italy to 54 percent in Sweden.

The average transaction price of new housing in Europe was the highest in Norway, whereas existing homes were the most expensive in Austria. Since there is no central body that collects and tracks transaction activity or house prices across the whole continent or the European Union, not all countries are included. To compile the ranking, the source weighed the transaction prices of residential properties in the most important cities in each country based on data from their national offices. For example, in Germany, the cities included were Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin. House prices have been soaring, with Sweden topping the ranking Considering the RHPI of houses in Europe (the price index in real terms, which measures price changes of single-family properties adjusted for the impact of inflation), however, the picture changes. Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway top this ranking, meaning residential property prices have surged the most in these countries. Real values were calculated using the so-called Personal Consumption Expenditure Deflator (PCE), This PCE uses both consumer prices as well as consumer expenditures, like medical and health care expenses paid by employers. It is meant to show how expensive housing is compared to the way of living in a country. Home ownership highest in Eastern Europe The home ownership rate in Europe varied from country to country. In 2020, roughly half of all homes in Germany were owner-occupied whereas home ownership was at nearly ** percent in Romania or around ** percent in Slovakia and Lithuania. These numbers were considerably higher than in France or Italy, where homeowners made up ** percent and ** percent of their respective populations.For more information on the topic of property in Europe, visit the following pages as a starting point for your research: real estate investments in Europe and residential real estate in Europe.

The house price to income index in Europe declined in almost all European countries in 2023, indicating that income grew faster than house prices. Portugal, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands led the house price to income index ranking in 2023, with values exceeding *** index points. Romania, Bulgaria, and Finland were on the other side of the spectrum, with less than 100 index points. The house price to income ratio is an indicator for the development of housing affordability across OECD countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 chosen as a base year. A ratio higher than 100 means that the nominal house price growth since 2015 has outpaced the nominal disposable income growth, and housing is therefore comparatively less affordable. In 2023, the OECD average stood at ***** index points.

Amsterdam is set to maintain its position as Europe's most expensive city for apartment rentals in 2025, with median costs reaching 2,500 euros per month for a furnished one-bedroom unit. This figure is double the rent in Prague and significantly higher than other major European capitals like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid. The stark difference in rental costs across European cities reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the complex interplay between supply and demand in urban centers. Factors driving rental costs across Europe The disparity in rental prices across European cities can be attributed to various factors. In countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, a higher proportion of the population lives in rental housing. This trend contributes to increased demand and potentially higher living costs in these nations. Conversely, many Eastern and Southern European countries have homeownership rates exceeding 90 percent, which may help keep rental prices lower in those regions. Housing affordability and market dynamics The relationship between housing prices and rental rates varies significantly across Europe. As of 2024, countries like Turkey, Iceland, Portugal, and Hungary had the highest house price to rent ratio indices. This indicates a widening gap between property values and rental costs since 2015. The affordability of homeownership versus renting differs greatly among European nations, with some countries experiencing rapid increases in property values that outpace rental growth. These market dynamics influence rental costs and contribute to the diverse rental landscape observed across European cities.

Abstract (en): These data were gathered in order to determine the cost of living as well as the cost of production in selected industries in the United States and several Western European countries. The study is comprised of nine industries (cotton and woolen textiles, glass, pig iron, bar iron, steel, bituminous coal, coke, and iron ore) and contains family-level information on the household composition, income and expenditures of workers in these industries. Additional topics covered include sources of income, ages and sex of children, detailed occupation of the household head, detailed expenditures for food as well as nonfood items, and characteristics of the family's dwelling units. Industrial workers and their families in 24 states in the United States and in 5 European nations (France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Belgium). Smallest Geographic Unit: country 2006-12-07 The Analytic Variables data file has been revised to correct various discrepancies found in the original file. Additional data including various average price indices, were also added to the file as well as SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The original codebooks are now available in PDF format. (1) Units of measurement for variables describing income, expenditure, and goods consumed can be found in the codebook. (2) For variable OCC464 (464 Occupation Codes) the following codes are undocumented: 206, 207, 247, and 503. (3) The data file for Part 2 is a text file containing interviewer comments which provide additional information about the household. There are no setup files to accompany the Part 2 data file.

Attitudes towards the European Union. Globalisation. Assessment of the economic and financial crisis, and the EU policy.

Topics: 1. Standard trends and attitudes towards the EU: general life satisfaction; assessment of the national and the European economic situation; assessment of the world economic situation; assessment of the personal job situation and the financial situation of the own household; assessment of the situation on the labour market in the own country and the situation in the environment in the own country; assessment of the national situation compared to the average of the European Union countries regarding the economic situation, the situation on the labour market, cost of living, energy prices, quality of life, and the situation of the environment; future expectations in the above fields; most important problems of the country; EU membership of the own country is a good thing; benefits from the own country’s membership in the EU; development of the own country, the EU, and the USA in the right direction; trust in institutions (media, internet, army, national legal system, political parties, national government, national parliament, European Union, United Nations, regional or local authorities, and NATO); positive or negative image of the EU; EU´s main features; knowledge test on the EU institutions: European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank; confidence in these institutions; attitude towards a European Monetary Union; attitude towards the enlargement of the EU; assessment of the speed of building Europe; the EU´s most important issues; knowledge test about the EU: number of member states, result of the Irish referendum; membership of Switzerland (Split A) and Iceland (Split B) in the EU; satisfaction with the democracy in the own country and in the EU; understanding of the processes of the EU; assessment regarding the consideration of national interests in the EU; assessment of the EU´s growth speed; citizens of different countries share more common characteristics than differences; lack of ideas for Europe; the EU must meet the global challenges.

1. The EU, the world, and globalisation: most important factors for the global influence of a country or of a group of countries; assignment of these factors to the EU; attitude towards globalisation (scale: opportunity for economic growth, increasing social inequalities, demand for global governance, identical interests of the USA and the EU in dealing with globalisation, protects from price increases, peacekeeping, threat to national culture, is profitable only for large companies but not for the citizens, leads to foreign investment in the own country, promotes the development of poorer countries, leading to more openness to other cultures, the EU has sufficient power to defend their economic interests, EU protects its citizens from the negative effects of globalisation (Split A) or enables European citizens to better benefit from the positive effects of globalisation (Split B); globalisation as an opportunity or as a threat to the national economy; comparison of the performance of the European economy with the American, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Russian and Brazilian economy; preferred orientation of the national society to meet global challenges.

2. Economic and financial crisis: expected worsening or recovery of the economic crisis; expected development of the individual financial situation of the household in the next months; most important actors to combat the crisis; positive or negative associations with the following terms (image): company, welfare state, competitiveness, free trade, protectionism, globalisation, liberalisation, trade union, reforms, public administration, flexibility, competition, security, and solidarity; attitude towards a free enterprise economy (scale: too strong intervention of the state in the lives of the individuals, economic growth prior to environmental protection (Split A) or environmental protection prior to economic growth (Split B), free competition is a guarantee of prosperity); attitude towards a reduction of the value of material possessions; approval of increased development of new technologies; impression of loss of personal purchasing power; expected change in the living conditions of future generations; suspected improvement of the lives of the young generation in the country by emigrating to another country; most important personal values; values that represent best the EU.

3. Subsidiarity: European, national or local level has the most impact on the own living conditions; sufficient consideration of regional interests in decisions of the European Union.

Only in EU 27 was asked: awareness of the current Swedish presidency of the EU; awareness of the change of presidency to Spain; optimism for the future of the EU; better protection against the economic crisis by maintaining the old currency; mitigation of the negative impact of the...

• Degree of information about the European Union and interest in news related to it.
• Frequency with which you travel outside Spain.
• Work or residence outside Spain for more than six months.
• Assessment of the effect for Spain of membership of the European Union: in general and on various socio-economic aspects.
• Assessment of the assumption that Spain does not belong to the European Union.
• Europeanist sentiment.
• Comparison of the feeling of closeness towards Europe/Ibero-America.
• Attitude towards the European Union.
• Feelings about a hypothetical dissolution of the European Union.
• Degree of agreement with sentences on the effects for Spanish workers of the implementation of the free movement of workers within the European Union.
• Degree of confidence that the European Union will solve the employment problem. Institution, Spanish Government or European Union, which trusts more to solve this problem.
• Knowledge of the name of the future European currency.
• Degree according to the replacement of the peseta by the euro.
• Opinion on the effects that the introduction of the euro will have on the ratio of household income to prices and on the ratio of costs to benefits for member countries.
• Assessment of the effect on Spanish interests of the introduction of the euro: in general and on various aspects of the cost of living.
• The phrase with which it most agrees on the moment of entry into force of Economic and Monetary Union: on or after the planned date until all countries meet the requirements.
• Opinion on whether Spain will meet the requirements to join the Economic and Monetary Union by the expected date. Phrase with which he agrees more about the importance for Spain of incorporation on that date.
• Personal desire to live in one of the member countries of the European Union.
• Opinions on the free movement of people within the European Union, opportunities for Spaniards: rights and obligations, exercise of the profession, carrying out studies.
• Assessment of professional training in Spain to be able to compete on equal terms in other countries.
• Opinion on matters of the European Union which should be dealt with exclusively by the national governments of the member countries or by common decisions.
• Image of the European Union for the year 2010.
• Political ideology scale of the interviewee.
• Remembrance of vote in general elections in March 1996.

Rising prices, inflation, and the cost of living were seen by almost half of the people in the European Union as being one of the two most important issues facing their country in 2023. Among EU member states, the top three countries concerned with rising inflation were Croatia, Austria, and Bulgaria, while their counterparts in Sweden, Denmark, and Italy were the least concerned with inflation, compared to other issues.

This report presents the results of a Eurobarometer survey on social climate, collecting views of some 1,000 people in each country. This survey not only measures how Europeans perceive the current recession and its social impact, but also reveals interesting differences between countries which seem to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of national policies and institutions. The first wave of this special Eurobarometer was conducted one year ago, eight months after the start of the financial and economic crisis. 1. The first group concerns the personal situation of the respondents including their satisfaction with life in general, with the area where they live, with their personal job situation and with the financial situation of their households. 2. The second set covers the general situation of the country and includes the cost of living, the affordability of energy and of housing, the quality of public administration, and the general employment and economic situation. 3. The third set focuses on social protection and social inclusion in the country and contains questions on health care provision, pensions, unemployment benefits, the way inequalities and poverty are addressed and relations between people from different cultural or religious backgrounds.

The results by volumes are distributed as follows:

• Volume A: Countries
• Volume AA: Groups of countries
• Volume A' (AP): Trends
• Volume AA' (AAP): Trends of groups of countries
• Volume B: EU/socio-demographics
• Volume B' (BP) : Trends of EU/ socio-demographics
• Volume C: Country/socio-demographics ---- Researchers may also contact GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: https://www.gesis.org/eurobarometer

Attitude towards the EU. Common EU policy. Globalisation. Economy. Interest in science and research. Science and media.

Topics: 1. Frequency of political discussions among friends; personal opinion leadership; life satisfaction; expected change in the next 12 months concerning: life in general, the economic situation in the country, the financial situation of the own household, the employment situation in the country, the personal job situation and the economic situation in the EU; assessment of the present personal situation compared with the past; expected change of the personal situation in the next five years (economic expectations); situation in the own country in comparison with other EU countries (economic situation, employment situation, cost of living, energy prices, healthcare system, pension system, social welfare situation, educational system, quality of life, public transport, environmental situation, knowledge of foreign languages); image of the EU (modern, democratic, protective, inefficient, technocratic); membership of own country in the EU is a good thing; benefits of the country´s membership in the EU; positive image of the EU; personal importance of the EU; knowledge of European institutions (European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank); importance of these institutions for the EU; trust in institutions; knowledge test (number of member countries, direct election of members of Parliament, presidential cycle); primary issues facing own country at the moment; opinions of national governments should be taken into account in European decision making; assessment of the general knowledge in the country (split: the respondents themselves) about the measures to be taken at European Union level; respondent’s knowledge (split: the citizens of its country) about European political affairs relating to: fighting crime, taxation, fighting unemployment, fighting terrorism, defence and foreign affairs, immigration, educational system, pensions, environmental protection, health and social welfare, agriculture and fishery, consumer protection, scientific and technological research, support for regions facing economic difficulties, energy, competition, transports, economy; self-rated knowledge about EU measures in other EU countries; preferred sources of information about the EU, its policies and institutions; impact of the EU enlargement; attitude to the European Monetary Union, a common foreign policy, a common defense and security policy, further enlargement of the EU, a constitution for the EU, a two-speed Europe, teaching school children about the way EU institutions work; image of: companies, welfare state, competitiveness, free trade, protectionism, globalisation, liberalisation, trade unions, reforms, public administration, flexibility; economic effects of globalisation for the own country; adequate protection from negative effects and benefit from the positive effects of globalisation by the EU; global warming as an urgent issue of EU policy; need for new policies to reduce greenhouse gases; respondent’s attachment to his village or to his city, to his country, to the European Union; agreement with statements on the issues: security of the own country by EU membership, economic stability of the own country due to EU membership, political stability due to EU membership, significance of own voice in the EU, understanding of the processes within the EU, significance of the country’s voice in the EU, growing influence of the own country in the EU, appreciation of the own country’s interests in the EU, power of the individual countries in the EU, personal involvement in European affairs; greatest successes of European integration (peace among the member states, free movement of people, goods and services within the EU, the Euro, student exchange programmes such as ERASMUS, common agricultural policy); association with the 50th anniversary of the Rome Treaty; optimism about the future of the EU; assessment of the future development of the EU in the next 50 years (direct election of a European president, secondary economic power, Euro as the strongest currency, position of a leading diplomatic power in the world and an EU own army); attitude to the expansion of the EU´s common foreign and security policy and the European security and defence policy (own foreign minister, independence of the EU´s foreign policy of the United States foreign policy, common immigration policy towards people from outside the EU); issues that create a feeling of community among the European Union citizens; most important issues to be treated to strengthen the EU; knowledge of the European flag, opinion on the European flag (good symbol for Europe, flag stands for something good, identification with the flag, flag should be seen on all public buildings next to the national flag); efficiency of selected educational measures on the EU (common European history book, common...

We present here a new dataset of per capita disposable income for 42 European countries (and more than 120,000 administrative units at the subnational level), over the 2010-2020 period (with few additional years for some countries). This dataset was created by harmonizing disparate income data (net earnings, gross income, disposable income, etc.) gathered from national statistical institutes across Europe. Disposable income was converted to constant 2015 EU27 PPP€ to adjust for the costs of living and inflation across countries and to allow comparability over time. Total population and a measure of income inequality (Gini index) are also provided for subnational administrative units. Users can download the aggregated dataset covering the whole years (Disposable_Inc_DB.gpkg) or yearly files.

Assessment of the development of the EU. Economy and environmental protection. Global warming and climate change.

Topics: Frequency of political discussions with friends and own opinion leadership; life satisfaction; future expectations regarding personal life, the financial situation of the own household, the national economic situation, the personal job situation, and the economic situation in the EU; comparison of the national situation with the average of the other European countries concerning: economy, employment, cost of living, energy prices, and quality of life; most important national political issues; voting behaviour and the European Parliament; (only in EU 27): voting behaviour in the last elections to the national parliament; assessment of the current or future EU membership (Turkey, Croatia, and Macedonia) of the own country as a good thing; assessment of the benefits of an EU membership; in the Turkish Cypriot community was asked: assessment of the full application of EU legislation in the own country as a good thing; reasons for and against the application of EU legislation in the own country; again all: reasons for and against an EU membership; development of the own country and the European Union in the right direction; trust in institutions; EU image; importance of the European Union for the respondent (associations); agreement with statements regarding the EU membership (more safety through EU membership, more economic stability through membership in the EU and the euro area, effectiveness of the own voice in the EU and in the own country, consideration of the concerns of the European citizens by the European parliament with regard to European issues, the right to vote with respect to European technical issues, understanding how the EU works, consideration of national interests by the EU, EU imposes its views on the own country); importance of the own voice and the voice of the own country in the EU; knowledge of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Central Bank; assessment of the role of these institutions in the life of the European Union; trust in these institutions, and reasons for trust or distrust; comparison of the present purchasing power of the own household with five years ago; financial difficulties at the end of the month; expectations regarding the future life of today´s children in comparison with the own generation; assessment of the transparency of the national public administration as well as of the EU institutions; personal importance of transparency for the respondent; knowledge test on the European Union (including the number of member states); preference for decision-making at national or at European level regarding: fighting crime, unemployment, inflation, and terrorism, taxation, defence, immigration, educational system, pensions, and environmental protection; health and social welfare, agriculture and fishery, consumer protection, science and technology, support for regions with economic difficulties, energy, competition, transports, and economy; attitude towards a common European currency, a common foreign policy, a common defence and security policy, and towards further enlargement of the European Union; assessment of the future development of the European Union; most important issues for strengthening the EU for the future; awareness of the current EU presidency of Slovenia; in Slovenia was asked: importance of the Slovenian EU presidency; awareness of the upcoming regular change of presidency to France; in France was asked: importance of the French EU presidency; again all: approval or rejection of an EU enlargement with the following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland; attitude towards the EU membership of Turkey; attitude towards the EU membership of the countries of the Western Balkans to help to stabilize the region; attitude towards globalisation (scale: opportunity for economic growth, increases social inequality, common interests of the European Union and the United States, protection from price increases, peacekeeping in the world, threat to national culture, profitable only for companies but not for citizens, more foreign investments in the own country, helps the development of poor countries, need for common global rules, openness to other cultures); globalisation as an opportunity for national companies to profit from the opening of markets versus threat of national jobs and companies; attitude towards the role of the European Union in globalisation: protection from negative effects of globalisation; enables European citizens to benefit from globalisation; assessment of the performance of the European economy in comparison with the economy in America, Japan, China, India, Russia, and Brazil; impact of globalisation on national companies; attitude towards the...

The European condominiums and apartments market is experiencing robust growth, projected to maintain a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) exceeding 5.50% from 2025 to 2033. This expansion is fueled by several key drivers. Increasing urbanization across major European cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam is creating significant demand for residential properties, particularly within conveniently located, modern condominium and apartment complexes. Furthermore, favorable government policies aimed at boosting housing affordability and stimulating construction activity in several European nations are contributing to the market's expansion. Strong economic growth in several key European markets, coupled with rising disposable incomes and a growing preference for urban living amongst millennials and young professionals, are also driving demand. The market is segmented by production, consumption, import/export analysis (both value and volume), and price trends, allowing for a granular understanding of the market's dynamics. Leading players such as CPI Property Group, Aroundtown Property Holdings, and others are actively shaping the market through development projects and strategic acquisitions. While supply chain disruptions and fluctuating construction material costs pose some restraints, the overall market outlook remains positive, driven by long-term demographic trends and a sustained focus on urban development. The regional breakdown shows significant market activity across Western and Northern Europe, with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands representing key markets. The continued development of smart homes and sustainable building practices is a significant trend within the sector, impacting both construction methods and consumer preferences. Market analysis reveals a positive correlation between economic growth and demand for higher-end apartments and condominiums, with premium properties commanding higher prices. The sustained growth in the tourism sector in certain European countries also impacts rental yields and property values, leading to investment in new development projects aimed at catering to both local and international buyers. The market shows resilience to economic downturns due to the underlying demand driven by population growth and urbanization, although pricing may fluctuate based on interest rates and economic conditions. Overall, the European condominiums and apartments market presents attractive opportunities for investors and developers alike, despite the challenges presented by global economic uncertainty. This in-depth report provides a comprehensive analysis of the European condominiums and apartments market, covering the period from 2019 to 2033. It delves into market trends, key players, and future growth prospects, offering invaluable insights for investors, developers, and industry professionals. The report utilizes data from the base year 2025 and forecasts up to 2033, incorporating historical data from 2019-2024. Recent developments include: November 2022: Ukio, a short-term furnished apartment rental platform aimed at the "flexible workforce," raised a Series-A round of funding totalling EUR 27 million (USD 28 million). The cash injection totalled EUR 17 million (USD 18.03 million) in equity and EUR 10 million (USD 10.61 million) in debt and came 14 months after the Spanish company announced a seed round of funding of EUR 9 million (USD 9.54 million)., September 2022: Gamuda Land planned to expand its international markets, with a significant expansion plan that will see the developer add an average of five new overseas projects per year beginning in the fiscal year 2023 (FY2023). This move follows the opening of Gamuda Land's first property in the United Kingdom (West Hampstead Central in London) and second in Australia (The Canopy on Normanby in Melbourne).. Key drivers for this market are: Increasing Developments in the Residential Segment, Investments in the Senior Living Units. Potential restraints include: Limited Availability of Land Hindering the Market. Notable trends are: Demand for Affordable Housing.

Questions concerning the European Union. Effects of globalisation. European integration. Construction of Europe, European Parliament and Elections. International conflicts: Georgia. Mobility. EU budget. Representation of the levels of public authorities in the EU.

Topics: 1. Frequency of political discussions with friends and own opinion leadership; life satisfaction; assessment of the current economic situation in the own country, in Europe, and in the world, assessment of the personal job situation, the financial situation of the own household, the employment situation, and the situation of the environment in the own country; assessment of the current situation in the own country regarding: residential area, health care, pensions, unemployment benefits, cost of living, relations between migrants, dealing with inequalities and poverty, affordability of energy and housing, as well as the way the public administration runs; future expectations concerning: the own life, the national economic and employment situation, the situation of the environment in the own country, the personal job situation, the economic situation in the EU, and in the world; comparison of economic and employment situation, cost of living, energy prices, quality of life, and environmental situation in the own country with the average of the European countries; most important problems in the own country; most important problems facing the respondent; existing or future membership of the own country in the EU as a good thing; benefits from the country’s membership in the EU; development of the own country and the European Union in the right direction; trust in institutions (justice, political parties, public authorities, national government, national parliament, EU, UN, NATO); assessment of the EU; importance of the EU for the respondent: more stable economy through the EU membership of the country; only in EU 27 countries in the euro area: more stable economy through the affiliation of the country to the euro area; EU 27, Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: attitude towards the following statements: own political efficacy in the EU as well as in the own country, and political efficacy of the own country in the EU, understanding how the EU works, EU imposes its views on the own country, national government is sensitive to concerns of the own citizens, national government cares about the concerns of European citizens; knowledge of the selected bodies of the EU (European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank); assessment of the importance of these institutions as well as confidence in these institutions; assessment of the current speed of building Europe, and desired speed (card, figures); changes in the purchasing power of the own household in the past five years; financial difficulties at the end of the month; assessment of the prospects for the lives of today’s children compared with the own generation; expected improvement of the prospects for living in the own country; knowledge test about the EU (member states, presidency); only EU 27: preferred level of political decision-making: national government or jointly within the EU regarding selected issues (fighting crime, unemployment and terrorism, taxation, defence and foreign affairs, immigration, educational system, pensions, environment protection, health, social welfare, agriculture and fishery, consumer protection, research, support of structurally weak regions, energy, competition, transports, economy, and combating inflation); again all: attitude towards selected propositions: European monetary union with the euro as the common currency, common foreign and defence policy of the EU member states, EU enlargement, higher speed of building Europe in some countries; preferred issues to be emphasized to strengthen the EU; awareness of the current presidency of France and the future presidency of the Czech Republic in the EU Council.

1. Effects of globalisation: attitudes towards globalisation (good opportunities for national companies versus threat to employment and companies in the own country); attitude towards the statement: EU protects its citizens from the negative effects of globalisation (Split A), or enables European citizens to better benefit from the positive effects of globalisation (Split B); European Union or national government as the most appropriate institution to protect from negative effects...

The Special Eurobarometer surveys on the social climate cover 15 areas and asks respondents to assess, for each of these areas, the current situation, how the situation has evolved over the past five years and how they expect it to change over the coming year. Three waves have been conducted: the first wave was conducted in 2009 (Special EB 315), the second wave in 2010 (Special EB 349) and the third wave in 2011 (Special EB 370) . Even though the impact of the crisis is still being felt, overall some improvement has been observed in 2011. Levels of optimism and the perception of change are assessed, alongside the evolution of opinion from the last waves of research. The survey consists of groups of questions, which break down as follows: 1. The first group concerns the personal situation of the respondents including their satisfaction with life in general, with the area where they live, with their personal job situation and with the financial situation of their households. 2. The second set covers the general situation of the country and includes the cost of living, the affordability of energy and of housing, the quality of public administration, and the general employment and economic situation. 3. The third set focuses on social protection and social inclusion in the country and contains questions on health care provision, pensions, unemployment benefits, the way inequalities and poverty are addressed and relations between people from different cultural or religious backgrounds. #####The results by volumes are distributed as follows: * Volume A: Countries * Volume AA: Groups of countries * Volume A' (AP): Trends * Volume AA' (AAP): Trends of groups of countries * Volume B: EU/socio-demographics * Volume C: Country/socio-demographics ---- Researchers may also contact GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: http://www.gesis.org/en/home/