Eurofound: Greeks Rank Among Least Satisfied in EU Countries

Greeks rank among the least satisfied among EU countries on a series of metrics including quality of life and satisfaction with democracy, according to the findings by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).

The survey is the latest in a slew of recent studies that paint a bleak picture of living conditions in Greece, among other issues, in stark contrast to the government’s often triumphant claims of economic growth.

Eurostat, the OECD, and the Eurobarometer place Greece among the lowest in the EU in terms of quality of life, purchasing power of wages, household financial difficulties, and citizens’ access to healthcare.

Even the monthly economic climate reports of the Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) —an institute representing local business—consistently rank Greeks as the most pessimistic in Europe, with the consumer confidence index at the bottom, showing only minimal fluctuations from month to month.

Among EU member states, Greece has by far the highest percentage of people struggling to make ends meet, at 55%. It is followed by Croatia at 45% and Estonia and Latvia at 41%. The European average is also high, with three in ten households facing financial difficulties in covering their monthly expenses.

The Eurofound results showed Greeks had the highest percentage regarding the possibility of leaving their home in the coming months because they can no longer afford it, at 22%, followed by Cyprus at 19%. Across Europe, 7% of respondents reported experiencing housing insecurity.

Eurofound’s surveys on quality of life and working conditions in Europe have been conducted online at regular intervals since 2020, gathering more than 260,000 responses to date. The latest survey is the seventh in the series.