Europeans unhappy with way inequalities are addressed, survey finds

Most people in Europe are unhappy with the way inequalities are dealt with, a new survey has found.

Fifteen per cent of citizens feel that current measures to tackle inequalities are “very bad”.

Furthermore, only 2 per cent of people think that “very good” work is being done in this area.

Nearly half of the people questioned said that they felt that policies which aim to improve unfair inequalities have not changed in the last 5 years.

Over a third of people said that they felt these policies are worse than before, and very few people (12 per cent) expect things to improve in the next 12 months.

Despite low expectations regarding policies, a majority of people expressed high levels of well-being.

Four out of five Europeans say they are happy with the lives they lead.

However, there are still differences between countries in terms of individual satisfaction.

98 per cent of Danes who were questioned say they are satisfied with their lives, compared to 51 per cent of respondents in Hungary who are dissatisfied.

Satisfaction among Europeans is about more than their financial situation.

Just above half (51 per cent) of those that regularly struggle with paying their bills feel satisfied with their life.

Work and education were cited as important factors linked to higher levels of well-being.

The Eurobarometer survey measures public opinion across Europe and was carried out by the European Commission.

The survey forms part of the EU’s Social Situation Report and can be downloaded in full here.