Well-being In Europe Research Articles

Working from home, work/life conflict and mental wellbeing in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many employees away from their offices into their homes. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in early spring 2020, most countries recommended or required that employees work remotely from home to reduce the spread of infection at workplaces and during travel to and from these workplaces. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between working from home, work/life conflict and mental wellbeing in Europe during the pandemic. The study was based on a large-scale, online survey that was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic three times, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, in 27 EU countries, and included 53 214 respondents that were employed at the time of the study. The results showed that working from home, work-to-life conflict and life-to-work conflict has increased and that mental wellbeing has decreased during the pandemic. Our regression analyses showed that the number of hours worked from home was negatively associated with work-to-life conflict and positively associated with life-to-work conflict. These results indicate that working from home can have both positive and negative consequences for employees' work/life conflict. The regression results showed that hours worked from home, work-to-life conflict and life-to-work conflict were negatively associated with mental wellbeing. It is important to consider different work situations for different working life groupings when implementing work-from-home measures. Organizations must consider how work is supervised and help managers understand how to support employees to achieve work-life balance when working remotely.

Psychological well-being in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has had devastating effects on the Ukrainian population and the global economy, environment, and political order. However, little is known about the psychological states surrounding the outbreak of war, particularly the mental well-being of individuals outside Ukraine. Here, we present a longitudinal experience-sampling study of a convenience sample from 17 European countries (total participants = 1,341, total assessments = 44,894, countries with >100 participants = 5) that allows us to track well-being levels across countries during the weeks surrounding the outbreak of war. Our data show a significant decline in well-being on the day of the Russian invasion. Recovery over the following weeks was associated with an individual’s personality but was not statistically significantly associated with their age, gender, subjective social status, and political orientation. In general, well-being was lower on days when the war was more salient on social media. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the psychological implications of the Russo-Ukrainian war next to its humanitarian, economic, and ecological consequences.

Values of humanitarian security concerning institutional and public support

The study of humanitarian security’s value orientations is based on the results of a content analysis of the content of national documents and current publications of Ukrainian and European researchers. It was determined that the values of humanitari-an security are correlated with the general humanistic values of strategic develop-ment – intellectual freedom, justice, tolerance, people-centeredness. In the condi-tions of war, one of the key values is "security" (informational, national, personal). From the point of view of national security, the importance of the Strategy’s imple-mentation for Popularization of the Ukrainian Language until 2030 "A Strong Lan-guage – a Successful State" and the Strategy for the Development of Reading for the period until 2032 "Reading as a Life Strategy" was noted. The formation, devel-opment and ability to practically apply critical thinking and media literacy were noted as influential factors for ensuring the humanitarian security of the individual as a result of the civic education development. Special attention is paid to the spectrum of existential problems of humanitarian security, which the author highlights in the context of the study "Psychological well-being in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine", carried out by a research group from many European universities. The re-sults of this study were published in the journal Nature Communications in early 2024.

Immigrants’ subjective well-being in Europe: Variation by regional attitudes towards immigrants

Abstract Research suggests that migrants’ well-being varies with their lived environment. This variation’s potential but under-researched driver is non-migrants’ attitude towards immigrants (ATI). Using pooled European Social Survey data (2010–18) for twenty-two destination countries, I address the question, ‘Are more positive ATI in regions where migrants live associated with their higher life satisfaction?’. To answer it, I estimate models of life satisfaction regressed on a summed index of six measures of ATI aggregated to the regional level and control for individual-level predictors and country, year, and origin fixed effects. I find a significant association between more negative regional ATI and lower migrant well-being. Its strength is comparable with the most important known individual-level predictors of well-being (e.g., education). My descriptive results further show that the length of stay at the destination moderates the strength of association (only those more recently arrived are affected). Despite well-attested links between feelings of discrimination and well-being, I show that those who express greater discrimination are not more sensitive to ATI. This suggests that each measure speaks to a separate mechanism for experiencing discrimination. Showing that ATI is strongly related to migrants’ well-being implies that the lived environment should be at the forefront of the migration outcomes research.

The consequences of informal employment on workers’ health and family well-being in Europe

Abstract Introduction Informal employment, characterized by unregistered and unprotected employment arrangements, can be detrimental to the health and well-being of workers and their families. Because non-standard work with ambiguous employment arrangements is growing more common across Europe, informal employment is becoming a health risk for an increasing number of people. The aim of this study is to explore the link between informal employment and health, focusing on the effect of employment precariousness and accounting for macrostructural contextual factors. Methods A sample of workers aged 15-64 in Europe from the latest European Working Conditions Survey of 2021, will be used. Using logistic regression models, with standard employment as the reference, the consequences of informal employment on physical health, psychosocial health, and family well-being will be assessed. The effects of precarious conditions (employment insecurity, low material rewards, lack of rights and opportunities, and disempowerment) on the relationship will be tested. Results Based on existing theory, the results should reveal that informal employment is associated with adverse outcomes. Precarious employment conditions should have a stronger effect for informal workers and their families as opposed to workers in standard employment. The results will be analyzed in relation to country-based structural factors such as welfare state policies and labour market trends. Conclusions The study will have implications for both research and policy. It will fill a critical research gap of the underexplored association between informal employment, workers’ health, and family well-being. Since non-standard work is growing in the European countries, the results should also demonstrate the importance of targeted policies to reduce the negative effect of this type of work to protect the health of not only workers, but the well-being of their families. Key messages • Informal employment is associated with adverse outcomes among workers and their families. • Employment precariousness is key to explaining how informality determines health and should therefore be at the core when adapting policies to the current labour market transformations.

Mental well-being and government support in Europe. The mediating role of trust in people and institutions

PurposeThis paper investigates the determinants of subjective well-being in Europe using the European Living, Working and COVID-19 (ELWC) Survey carried out by Eurofound (2021). Socio-demographics characteristics, employment status, measures of economic distress, inequality and work life balance are considered. Particular attention is paid to how quality of government support (QGS), that considers the dimensions of good governance such as integrity, fairness, reliability, responsiveness and influences subjective mental well-being (WHO-5) through the mediation of trust in other people and in institutions.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, the authors estimate a moderated mediation model for analysing the indirect role of QGS on WHO-5 through institutional trust and trust in people.FindingsThe results support the hypothesis that the reduction in WHO-5 in the European population during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID--19), particularly marked in the 18–34 age group, is related to the perceived inadequacy of government interventions in managing economic and social uncertainty through supportive measures. This outcome is also due to reduced trust in institutions and other people, as both are significant mediators that reinforce the impact of public support on WHO-5.Practical implicationsGovernment should pay greater attention to this relationship amongst good governance, trust and mental health of citizens because a healthy human capital is a significant factor for the long-run economic growth, in a special way when the authors refer to the young workforce with a greater life expectancy.Originality/valueIn the literature, the role of trust as a mediator has been analysed in the relationship between individual economic situations and subjective well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined the role of perceived QGS on subjective mental well-being using the mediating and backing effects of trust in people and institutions.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2022-0549.

Food insecure women's experiences of their nutritional health and wellbeing in Europe: a qualitative systematic review and meta-ethnography

BackgroundFood insecurity has increased since the 2008 global financial crisis. Particularly vulnerable are mothers with young children, pregnant women, and lone parents (the majority of whom are women). This systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies aimed to explore women's experiences of food insecurity and how it affects their nutritional health and wellbeing. MethodsSix electronic databases were searched from Jan 1, 2008, to July 10, 2021, with no language restrictions. Search terms included “food insecurity”, “women”, and “nutrition”. This search was supplemented by grey literature, reference list, and citation searches. Screening was done in duplicate. Following title and abstract screening, full texts were screened against the inclusion criteria (ie, qualitative research, focus on women of childbearing age, pregnancy nutritional health or wellbeing, data from 2008 onwards, and high-income European countries). We adhered to PRISMA and eMERGe guidelines for meta-ethnographic reporting. Methodological quality was assessed using the CASP qualitative checklist. Data were synthesised according to Noblit and Hare's seven phases of meta-ethnography. FindingsWe identified 11 589 unique records; 23 publications reporting data from 22 unique studies were included, comprising 647 women. We identified two key themes: accessing sufficient food and embodying food insecurity, comprising eight subthemes. Our meta-ethnography provides a progressive storyline of women's experiences of food insecurity. This storyline includes how women attempt to access sufficient food, they are unable to meet their nutritional needs, how this is embedded into their everyday lives, and embodied in unhealthful physical, social, and mental nutritional health and wellbeing. InterpretationThis meta-ethnography concludes a need for greater recognition of the psychosocial impact of food insecurity on vulnerable women, in addition to the impact on their nutritional health and wellbeing. The review demonstrates a lack of change over time, qualitatively for women's experiences. A strength and limitation of this review is the range of studies from different European contexts, where contextual factors could affect the experiences of women. FundingThe Economic and Social Research Council.

The economic and welfare state determinants of well-being in Europe

This paper analyses the effects of unemployment and social provision on population well-being in ten European countries. We argue that the nature of the linkages between well-being and unemployment rate is non-linear, by identifying the presence of a threshold in unemployment by means of the Hansen test (1999, 2000). Happiness was found to be negatively affected by the unemployment rate both in the presence of linearity in unemployment and under the two regimes determined by the identified threshold. Our results show that social provision, as a whole, and health-care benefits in particular negatively affect happiness while spending on unemployment protection and active labour policies have a positive impact on the well-being suggesting a different allocation of social resources. Furthermore, these non-linear linkages would help the policy-makers to take into account different groups when making decisions about the allocation of social resources.

Exploring the Association between Welfare State and Mental Wellbeing in Europe: Does Age Matter?

Previous research reports show mixed results regarding the age gradient in population mental wellbeing, which may be linked to the role that welfare states play. In this study, we investigate whether an age gradient exists in relation to the association between welfare state and mental wellbeing within the adult population in Europe. We combine individual level data from Round 6 of the European Social Survey and country level data on welfare state and use multilevel regression analyses to explore population mental wellbeing. Subjective and psychological wellbeing dimensions were analyzed, and different approaches to measuring welfare state were explored, including a regime typology and composite welfare state measures constructed on the basis of a set of eight individual indicators. We found the age gradient for mental wellbeing to differ between welfare states, with the positive impact of the welfare state increasing with age. A universal and generous welfare state seems to be particularly important for older adults, who are also more likely to be in higher need of transfers and services provided by the welfare state.

Co-producing transformative visions for Europe in 2100: A multi-scale approach to orientate transformations under climate change

Achieving sustainability and resilience transformations under climate change requires transformative and multi-scale visions to stimulate coherent thinking and action towards radically alternative futures. We present our approach to co-produce transformative visions contextualised in different regions across Europe, while exploring emergent ‘pan-European’ vision elements to guide transformative climate action across scales. We co-produced visions with stakeholders in four case studies: European, national (Scotland), transboundary river basin (Iberia) and two municipalities (Hungary). All visions share core aspirations for good living, justice and social and environmental wellbeing in Europe, while allowing contextualised interpretation to remain meaningful in view of context-specific needs, priorities, cultural perceptions and aspirations. The visions point to areas where deep transformations are required: in service provisioning from critical infrastructures like energy, food, health and education, and in lifestyles and governance. We discuss two key methodological considerations for the co-production of transformative visions across multiple scales. Firstly, the application of a systematic and comprehensive framework across all scales provided a guide to compare and ensure coherence between visions across multiple scales. Secondly, the creation of transformative spaces to co-produce the visions with stakeholders supported critical reflections and learning about the radical and multi-dimensional changes necessary in different regions in Europe.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions after 15 Years

AbstractThis data brief describes the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). Detailed data on income and taxes are collected, as well as information on material deprivation, labour, housing, childcare, health, access to and use of services, and education. Although primarily a social policy instrument that addresses the information needs of policymakers and is used for social monitoring at the European level, EU-SILC is also closely geared to the needs of researchers and provides an excellent database for evidence-based research on a wide variety of aspects of income, income poverty, material poverty, health, and well-being in Europe. EU-SILC is composed of national probability sample surveys and is conducted annually. The target population comprises private households. Observation units are households and all current household members. EU-SILC provides cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The data are composed of a fixed core module, and annually changing ad-hoc modules. Launched in 2003 and revised with effect from 2021, EU-SILC is currently implemented in all EU Member States and in 11 non-EU countries. During the revision process, many suggestions from the research community were incorporated.

Institutions, Labor Market Insecurity, and Well-Being in Europe

We examined the differences among seventeen European countries regarding the extent to which several key institutional and labor market characteristics affect the degrees of insecurity that people feel about their jobs and employment prospects, as well as their well-being (economic security and subjective well-being). We estimate how macrostructural factors affect well-being by fitting random-intercept multi-level models and decomposing the variance across national and individual levels, using data from the 2004 and 2010 European Social Surveys. We find that there is substantial country-level variation in labor market insecurity, economic security and subjective well-being. Active labor market policies, the generosity of unemployment benefits, and collective bargaining coverage explain a considerable portion of the identified differences among countries in labor market insecurity and well-being. The effects of employment protection legislation vary depending on whether the worker has a permanent or temporary contract. We did not find substantial differences between 2004 and 2010, suggesting that the effects of institutions and worker power on labor market insecurity and well-being reflect longer-term structural changes associated with the transformation of employment relations.

Digitalization and subjective wellbeing in Europe

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the effect of digitalization on 28 European countries’ subjective wellbeing by using macro (aggregate level) indicators.Design/methodology/approachThe research investigates the impact of digitalization (Digital Economy and Society Index [DESI]) on life satisfaction through its components. The study uses several models based on the two-stage least squares method.FindingsThe findings show that internet connectivity, use of the internet and integrated digital technology are positively related to life satisfaction. Furthermore, the results revealed that human capital and digital public services are negatively associated with it. The study also suggested that digital skills, e-health, and e-government services do not necessarily increase an individual’s life satisfaction level. The internet’s use appeared to be the most effective digitalization component in affecting life satisfaction in Europe.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on the DESI index from 2014 to 2019. Although it does not influence the outcome, future research may consider additional indexes such as Digital Adoption Index and Digital Transformation Index and extend the study period.Practical implicationsThe study helps the policymakers directing their attention to the importance of digitalization on life satisfaction.Originality/valueThis work extends the limited understanding of subjective wellbeing, digitalization and the digital economy and society index in terms of theoretical implications.

Institutions, Labor Market Insecurity, and Well-Being in Europe

Institutions, Labor Market Insecurity, and Well-Being in Europe

Tax compliance, public spending and happiness in Europe

PurposeThis study aims to analyze whether tax compliance is the basis for the short-run dynamics of the development of welfare and happiness. The strengthening of tax compliance of corporates and citizens is not only important to achieve the goals assumed by fiscal policy but also is part of the values that can generate a higher level of welfare and happiness in Europe.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a dynamic factor model to offer new indexes that allow to monitor tax compliance, public spending and happiness trajectories and to evaluate their short-run relationships. Next, an analysis of the cyclical characteristics in terms of duration, amplitude and intensity is provided using the Harding and Pagan method (2002).FindingsThe empirical findings show that the European countries were able to reinforce tax compliance during the expansionary periods of the economy, and this has made it possible to increase public spending, and indirectly, happiness. Otherwise, this paper shows that the contractions of public resources during the global crisis, such as the case in the COVID-19, reduced the possibilities of well-being in Europe and made it more difficult to increase public spending and happiness.Research limitations/implicationsThis study tries to analyze the transmission channels and relationships of three very complex variables: tax compliance, public spending and happiness. Incorporating these three variables into this research, with a short-run perspective, the authors have opened a new line of research that enriched the previous analysis. Therefore, the authors’ results should be considered the first step, that this study is going to continue to unravel the complexity of these relationships.Practical implicationsThe design of policies aimed at improving individual, corporate and the well-being of nations needs them to incorporate elements of tax compliance as an objective that has economic and social implications. Individuals and corporates contribute to a fairer and more equitable society through compliance with tax obligations.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that offers evidence on the short-run dynamics of tax revenue, public spending and happiness for a better understanding of their relationships and behavior during the different periods of the economy.

Well-being in Europe: decompositions by country and gender for the population aged 50+

The well-being of older Europeans is of increasing importance given the substantialageing of the population. This paper comprehensively analyses well-being forthe population aged 50+ in 26 European countries, using the newly proposedindicator “Years of Good Life” (YoGL), which measures the remaining yearsof life that an individual can expect to live in a “good” state. The indicatorenables the decomposition of well-being into various dimensions, thereby revealingimportant heterogeneities between regions and genders. Results show that numbersof YoGL at age 50 vary considerably between European countries. They are highestin Northern and Western European countries and lowest in Central and EasternEuropean countries, where many “good” years are lost due to low life satisfaction.Interestingly, the high life expectancy levels in Southern Europe do not translate intohigher numbers of YoGL, mainly due to the low levels of physical and cognitivehealth in this region. While women and men can expect to have similar numbersof YoGL, women are likely to spend a smaller proportion of their longer remaininglifetime in a good state. These results demonstrate the importance of using wellbeingindicators that consider population heterogeneity when measuring humanwell-being, especially for older populations.

The importance of species diversity for human well-being in Europe

Nature affects human well-being in multiple ways. However, the association between species diversity and human well-being at larger spatial scales remains largely unexplored. Here, we examine the relationship between species diversity and human well-being at the continental scale, while controlling for other known drivers of well-being. We related socio-economic data from more than 26,000 European citizens across 26 countries with macroecological data on species diversity and nature characteristics for Europe. Human well-being was measured as self-reported life-satisfaction and species diversity as the species richness of several taxonomic groups (e.g. birds, mammals and trees). Our results show that bird species richness is positively associated with life-satisfaction across Europe. We found a relatively strong relationship, indicating that the effect of bird species richness on life-satisfaction may be of similar magnitude to that of income. We discuss two, non-exclusive pathways for this relationship: the direct multisensory experience of birds, and beneficial landscape properties which promote both bird diversity and people's well-being. Based on these results, this study argues that management actions for the protection of birds and the landscapes that support them would benefit humans. We suggest that political and societal decision-making should consider the critical role of species diversity for human well-being.

Migrants’ subjective well-being in Europe: does relative income matter?

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the growing field of inquiry that investigates migrants’ subjective well-being by analysing the role of income, relative to two reference groups: natives and other migrants. Using data collected by the European Social Survey from 2002 to 2018, we constructed two measures of economic distance to compare each migrant’s economic situation with that of natives and other migrants with similar characteristics. Our results indicate that when the disadvantage between the migrant and the reference groups becomes smaller, eventually becoming an advantage, the migrant’s life satisfaction increases. Such relationship is stronger when migrants’ income is examined relative to natives than when compared with migrants’. This suggests that upward comparison is more important than downward comparison for migrants’ subjective well-being. We also show that the relationship between relative income and subjective well-being is stronger for second-generation migrants and for those with more formal education. Finally, we show that subjective measures both at the individual (feelings about one’s own economic condition) and societal (feelings about the national socio-economic-institutional condition) levels moderate the relationship between relative income and subjective well-being.

Measuring financial well-being in Europe using a fuzzy set approach

PurposeThis paper aims to apply a multidimensional approach to assessing the financial well-being of European countries.Design/methodology/approachFinancial well-being is a very complex phenomenon to measure because it is composed of different dimensions. Therefore, this paper uses a multidimensional and fuzzy methodology to assess financial well-being in Europe. The financial well-being fuzzy indicator was calculated using European Quality of Life Survey data.FindingsFinancial well-being is heterogeneous across European countries. This evidence is confirmed both at the level of overall financial well-being and at the level of sub-indices. The degree of financial well-being is not directly related to wealth as traditionally measured (i.e. GDP), but shows some correspondence with socio-economic characteristics of the population and with governance and cultural elements of a country.Practical implicationsUnderstanding financial well-being could help financial institutions to transition from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more tailored approach when they provide financial services and could help policy makers to consider financial well-being when they decide how and where to allocate public spending.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to employ a fuzzy methodology for the analysis of financial well-being in Europe.

Corporate social responsibility and internal stakeholders' health and well-being in Europe: a systematic descriptive review.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can contribute to the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental performance in organizations. However, the relationship between CSR, employee health and well-being has not been frequently assessed despite an increased awareness that this relationship can contribute to sustainable workplaces. To identify studies addressing the relationship between CSR and employee health and well-being within the EuCIropean context, we conducted a systematic literature search using Web of Science and Medline. Of the 60 articles screened for inclusion, 16 were retained. The results suggest that the majority (n = 14) of the identified studies aimed to understand the impact of CSR strategies on employees’ job satisfaction. None of the studies investigated the relationship between internal CSR and physical health. There was no clarity in the measurement of either internal CSR or the extent to which it affected employee outcomes. There is a need for consensus on measurement of internal CSR and of the health and well-being-related outcomes. Public health and occupational health researchers should be part of the discussion on the potential role of CSR in physical and psychological health outcomes beyond job satisfaction.