Living, working and COVID-19: First findings – April 2020

Abstract

This report presents the findings of the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, carried out by Eurofound to capture the far-reaching implications of the pandemic for the way people live and work across Europe. The survey was fielded online, among respondents who were reached via Eurofound’s stakeholders and social media advertising. Two rounds of the e-survey have been carried out to date: one in April, when most Member States were in lockdown, and one in July, when society and economies were slowly re-opening.

The findings of the e-survey from the first round reflected widespread emotional distress, financial concern and low levels of trust in institutions.

Full text

Introduction
In the space of just a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic
has radically transformed the lives of people around the
globe. Apart from the devastating health consequences on
people directly aected by the virus, the COVID-19
pandemic has had major implications for the way people
live and work, aecting their physical and mental
well-being in a profound way.
To capture the immediate economic and social eects of
this crisis, Eurofound launched a large-scale online survey
across the European Union and beyond on 9 April. Entitled
Living, working and COVID-19, the aim of the survey is to
investigate the impact on well-being, work and telework
and on the financial situation of people living in Europe.
It includes a range of questions relevant to people across
various age groups and life situations. Most of the
questions are based on Eurofound’s European Quality of
Life Survey (EQLS) and European Working Conditions
Survey (EWCS), while other questions are new or were
adapted from other sources, such as the EU Statistics on
Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).
By 30 April, more than 85,000 people had already taken part
in the e-survey.1 The survey will remain online over the next
few months in order to capture the impact across time of
the COVID-19 pandemic on life and work in the EU and the
final results will be published in September 2020. This fact
sheet presents the first main findings recorded in April 2020
when most European countries were under lockdown
regimes introduced by national governments in a bid to
control and slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus among
the population.2
The first results show a Europe grappling to respond to the
crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many
respondents reporting high levels of loneliness coupled
with low levels of optimism about their future. Overall,
people are showing some decrease in their well-being.
Respondents are also reporting a dramatic fall in trust in
the EU and their national governments, with low levels
reported across many countries. The survey findings also
confirm an increase in telework and, for a growing number
of respondents, a feeling of insecurity regarding their
jobs with a dramatic decrease in working time. Finally,
the survey paints a stark picture of people across the
27 EU Member States who have seen their economic
situation worsen and are deeply concerned about their
financial future.
Quality of life and COVID-19
Life satisfaction, happiness and optimism are
below usual levels
Respondents’ subjective well-being in April 2020 was
relatively muted: in the EU overall, people rated their life
satisfaction on average at 6.3 and happiness at 6.4 on a
scale of 1 to 10. Both of these are below the ratings given in
face-to-face general population surveys, such as the
European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), which in 2016
measured EU average life satisfaction at 7.0 and happiness
at 7.4. People aged 50 or over in the COVID-19 survey had
somewhat higher satisfaction (6.4) and happiness (6.5) than
young and middle age groups, which rated life satisfaction
at 6.2 and 6.1 respectively, and happiness both at 6.3.
People who were unemployed had significantly lower life
satisfaction than the average at 4.7 points.
Life satisfaction across countries is shown in Figure 1
below. While predictably Denmark and Finland have the
highest ratings at 7.4 and 7.3 respectively, interestingly
France figures among the countries with the lowest average
life satisfaction (5.9) – a position it does not generally hold
in other surveys conducted before the COVID-19 crisis.
FIRST FINDINGS
Living, working and COVID-19
First findings – April 2020
1All individual responses were weighted to reflect the demographic profile of
the sample in terms of age, gender, region and education of each Member
State and the EU27 as a whole. For further methodological information,
please see https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/topic/covid-19
2Results from the fourth European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) carried out in
2016 are mentioned throughout as contextual information; however, direct
comparison is not possible due to the difference in survey mode.

Evidently the crisis caused by the pandemic has had a huge
eect on people’s optimism about their own future, with
just 45% stating they were optimistic about their own
future in April 2020 – compared to 64% in the European
Quality of Life Survey in 2016. Respondents from the
EU countries most heavily hit (Belgium, France, Italy and
Spain) were among those least optimistic about their
future, their ratings falling below the EU average; in the
case of Belgium and Spain, these had previously been
more optimistic than the EU average in the EQLS.
Optimism decreased with increasing age, with 53% of
those under 35 stating they are optimistic, compared to
just 41% of those over 50. Unemployed people were the
least optimistic about their future (26%), and there was
also a notable dierence between employees (50%) and
the self-employed (43%).
When asked about whether they are optimistic about their
children’s and grandchildren’s future, the ratings are even
lower: the highest proportion was 36% among those in
the middle-age group (35–49), compared with 33% in the
youngest (18–34) and 32% in the oldest (50+) groups.
This confirms the apprehension felt by respondents about
their future.
Young people and those not working have
lowest mental well-being
The WHO-5 mental well-being index measures people’s
moods over the previous two weeks based on five
statements of positive feelings.3 Mental well-being is
measured on a scale of 0 to 100. Among respondents to the
COVID-19 survey, average mental well-being was relatively
low at 59 (in the 2016 EQLS it was measured at 64).
Interestingly, there were relatively small dierences across
countries, ranging from 56 in Greece to 65 in Denmark.
At European level, mental well-being was lowest among
those unable to work due to disability or illness (48) and
the unemployed (49). People aged 50 or over had higher
mental well-being (60) than those under 35 and those
aged 35–49, scoring 56 and 57 respectively.
Figure 1: Respondents’ life satisfaction by country
12345678910
Greece
Bulgaria
Croatia
Slovakia
Cyprus
Portugal
Hungary
France
Italy
Lithuania
Poland
Slovenia
Malta
Romania
Spain
Czechia
EU27
Belgium
Estonia
Ireland
Latvia
Germany
Sweden
Luxembourg
Austria
Netherlands
Finland
Denmark
3The statements are: ‘I have felt cheerful and in good spirits’, ‘I have felt calm
and relaxed’, ‘I have felt active and vigorous’, ‘I woke up feeling fresh and
rested’, ‘My daily life has been filled with things that interest me’.
2
Figure 2: Respondents’ optimism about their future by
country (%)
0 1020304050607080
Ireland
Spain
France
Belgium
Germany
Estonia
Italy
Poland
Portugal
Sweden
Slovenia
Netherlands
Malta
Romania
Austria
Lithuania
Slovakia
Greece
Bulgaria
Luxembourg
Latvia
Cyprus
Hungary
Denmark
Finland
Czechia
Croatia
EU27
Strongly agree Agree
Source: Unless otherwise stated, all figures should be cited as
Eurofound (2020), Living, working and COVID-19 dataset, Dublin

One aspect of well-being that came into focus during the
crisis is loneliness. At EU level, 16% of respondents – and
20% in the under-35 age group – said that they were lonely
‘all or most of the time’ over the previous two weeks. This is
strikingly dierent from usual findings in other surveys: in
the 2016 EQLS, loneliness was rated at just 6% overall and
4% for under-35s. This probably implies that young people
feel they have been more aected by the restrictions than
other age groups, with social events being cancelled and
their inability to meet their friends and family outside the
household (albeit older people have experienced more
severe restrictions in many countries). Overall, loneliness
was most common among respondents in France (23%)
and least common in Finland (9%).
Anxiety due to the health, social and economic implications
of the crisis has also been prevalent. When asked about
feeling tense, 18% of EU respondents said they felt
particularly tense most of the time over the past two
weeks – this contrasts with just 11% in the 2016 EQLS.
The findings show that feeling tense was more common
among respondents in the youngest and middle-age
groups (both 21%) than for those over 50 (16%). People
unable to work due to disability or illness, as well as the
unemployed, were significantly more likely to feel tense
(30% and 29% respectively) than employees (18%) and
the self-employed (23%). Respondents from Bulgaria
reported tension most oen (30%) and those from
Denmark least oen (6%).
A slightly lower percentage reported feeling downhearted
and depressed, with an average of 13% feeling this way
most of the time – and 16% of young people. In the 2016
EQLS, however, this indicator was just 6% overall in the EU.
Respondents from Bulgaria, Greece, Poland and France
were most likely to report feeling down over the previous
two weeks.
Trust in healthcare and the police higher than
trust in governments, the media and the EU
By striking at the foundations of our societies, the COVID-19
pandemic has greatly impacted on people’s trust in
institutions and in service providers. The crisis could be
seen as an opportunity for the media to reach more
consumers, as people all over the world have been closely
following the news about the spread of the virus and the
containment measures. However, trust in news media was
rated quite low in this survey: among EU respondents
overall, it was just 4.6 on a scale of 1 to 10, with nearly
two-thirds of EU countries having a rating below 5.
Respondents also indicated a low level of trust in national
governments, the authorities mainly responsible for the
measures put in place during the crisis: this was rated at
4.8 overall in the EU. Compared to trust in the media, there
was higher variation between countries for this indicator,
with respondents from Finland and Denmark having levels
of trust over 7, and six other countries measuring under 4.
Interestingly, and perhaps reflecting the perceived lack of
a coordinated strategy, trust in the European Union on
average was even lower than overall trust in national
governments: 4.6 across all EU countries, with respondents
from Finland, Ireland and Denmark trusting the EU the
most and those from France, Czechia and Greece the least
(Figure 4). It is unusual that a survey measures trust in the
EU lower than average trust in the government: the 2019
Spring Eurobarometer measured trust in the EU at the
highest levels since the Great Recession and well ahead of
trust in government (44% trusted the EU and just 34%
trusted the national government).4 In the COVID-19 survey,
trust in the EU was lowest among unemployed people
and those unable to work due to health or disability
(both at 3.8).
3
Figure 3: WHO-5 mental well-being index by country
52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66
Greece
Poland
Italy
France
Croatia
Romania
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Germany
Belgium
EU27
Estonia
Portugal
Spain
Lithuania
Austria
Hungary
Slovakia
Czechia
Slovenia
Latvia
Netherlands
Sweden
Finland
Malta
Ireland
Luxembourg
Denmark
4Press release, 5 August 2019: ‘Spring 2019 Standard Eurobarometer:
Europeans upbeat about the state of the European Union – best results in
5 years’.

Respondents were also asked about their trust in two
national institutions that play significant roles in combating
COVID-19: the police and the healthcare system. Both of
these were trusted more than governments by EU
respondents (6.2 and 6.4 respectively). The healthcare
sector has played an especially large role in the handling of
coronavirus patients, with workers regularly putting their
life in danger, and this has been widely covered by the
media. As seen in Figure 5, respondents from Malta and
Denmark had the highest trust in their healthcare system
(8.1 and 8.0 respectively), and Hungary had the lowest (3.9).
In the hardest-hit countries (notably Spain, also Belgium,
Italy and France), trust in the healthcare system was higher
than the EU average.
Work, teleworking and COVID-19
5% of respondents in EU27 reported losing
their jobs permanently and 23% temporarily
Measures to restrict physical contact in an attempt to halt
the pandemic have led to the unprecedented closure of
workplaces across the world. Bringing economic activity to
a standstill has put many jobs at risk, with those lost in the
first weeks of the confinement in March just a small trickle
of the deluge that was to come, as Eurostat recorded that in
March 2020 the unemployment rate increased to 6.6% from
6.5% the previous month (Eurostat LFS monthly update of
30 April 2020). This survey recorded that in April, 5% of
respondents that were part of the EU27 labour force
reported losing their jobs permanently due to the
pandemic, with 23% stating they had lost their contracts or
jobs temporarily. Men under 35 seem to be a group aected
somewhat more than the rest of the population (6% and
24% respectively). However, estimating the implications of
‘temporary’ losses is complicated for both individual
workers and policymakers, due to the fact that labour
market adjustments included working time reductions and
furloughing aimed at preserving jobs in the short to
medium term – while structural changes in the economy
may still occur later.
4
Figure 4: Trust in the European Union by country
12345678910
Greece
Czechia
France
Spain
Bulgaria
Italy
Croatia
Slovakia
Belgium
Slovenia
Cyprus
Romania
EU27
Malta
Netherlands
Austria
Latvia
Estonia
Poland
Hungary
Germany
Portugal
Sweden
Luxembourg
Lithuania
Denmark
Ireland
Finland
Figure 5: Trust in the healthcare system by country
12345678910
Hungary
Bulgaria
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Latvia
Cyprus
Greece
Croatia
Lithuania
Slovenia
EU27
France
Italy
Estonia
Belgium
Ireland
Portugal
Germany
Netherlands
Czechia
Sweden
Luxembourg
Austria
Spain
Finland
Denmark
Malta

In terms of job insecurity levels, 16% of workers in the EU
consider that they are likely to lose their jobs in the near
future (7% think this is ‘very likely’ and 9% ‘rather likely’).
Job insecurity is highest in several eastern and southern
Member States, with 20% in Bulgaria and 15% in Greece
stating they feel they are very likely to lose their job as a
result of the crisis.
Working time decreased for half of the
working population
The results indicate that the 50% of the working population
across the EU experienced a reduction in their working time
(Figure 6). More than one-third (34%) of those in
employment said their working time decreased ‘a lot’, and
16% that it decreased ‘a little’. Greece, France, Italy and
Cyprus are countries where about half of all workers said
their working time had decreased ‘a lot’. Reduction of
working time may include the request to furlough and
therefore imply a reduction in income.
On the other hand, for 7% of workers on average in the EU,
working time increased a lot, a similar proportion across
many countries. The largest proportion of workers whose
working time has not changed was reported in Sweden,
Finland and Denmark (52%, 49% and 45% respectively).
Almost 4 in 10 employees started teleworking
Over a third (37%) of those currently working in the EU
began to telework as a result of the pandemic – over 30% in
most Member States (Figure 7). The largest proportions of
workers who switched to working from home are to be
found in the Nordic and Benelux countries (close to 60% in
Finland and above 50% in Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Belgium and Denmark, and 40% or more in Ireland,
Sweden, Austria and Italy). In countries where more people
began working from home as a result of the pandemic,
fewer workers reported that their working time decreased.
5
Figure 6: Changes in working time during the
COVID-19 pandemic by country (%)
0 10203040506070
Sweden*
Finland
Denmark
Belgium
Czechia
Luxembourg
Lithuania
Estonia
Netherlands*
Hungary
Germany
Slovakia
Portugal
Ireland
Slovenia
Latvia*
Austria
EU27
Poland
Spain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Malta*
Romania
Italy
France
Cyprus*
Greece
Decreased a lot Decreased a little
Note: *Due to the lower response rate, the results for Cyprus, Latvia,
Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden have low reliability.
Figure 7: Proportion of workers who started
teleworking as a result of COVID-19 by country (%)
0102030405060
Romania
Greece
Croatia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Spain
Slovakia
Poland
Latvia*
Cyprus*
Malta*
Estonia
Czechia
Lithuania
EU27
Germany
France
Portugal
Italy
Austria
Sweden*
Ireland
Denmark
Belgium
Netherlands*
Luxembourg
Finland
Note: *Due to the lower response rate, the results for Cyprus, Latvia,
Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden have low reliability.

Those who switched to working from home during the
pandemic are mainly people who have had previous
telework experience, and this is also reflected in country
dierences. Some jobs and a range of essential services
cannot be done remotely, while other jobs could benefit
from an upgrading of technology and re-organisation.
So far, among those who have never worked from home
prior to the pandemic, the proportion who began
teleworking is lower – 24% – compared to people who
have teleworked previously at least sometimes (56%).
18% of all workers report working in their
free time to meet work demands
The survey results reveal that 18% of all workers report
working in their free time at least every other day; however,
over one in four workers (27%) who work from home as a
result of the pandemic state that they work in their free time
to meet the demands of work (at least every other day).
During the pandemic-related restrictions, the view was
commonly expressed that telework would soon become a
reality for most workers – the ‘new normal’. However, for it
to be sustainable, the usual challenges – such as overtime
work – that are related to ICT-enabled working ‘anytime,
anywhere’ (teleworking) must be addressed.5 Regardless of
6
IE
ES
FR
BE
DE
EE
IT
PL
PT
NL*
SE*
MT*
RO
AT
LT
SK
EL
LU
LV*
BG
CY*
HU
DK
FI
CZ
HR
R² = 0.3734
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 10203040506070
Figure 8: Uptake of telework and decrease in working time by country (%)
Notes: Horizontal axis: % began working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vertical axis: % where working time decreased (‘a lot’ or
‘a little’). *Due to the lower response rate, the results for Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden have low reliability.
Malta and Slovenia not shown due to insufficient data.
5Eurofound (2017), Working anytime, anywhere.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Family prevents giving time for job
Hard to concentrate on job because of family
Job prevents giving time to family
Too tired aer work to do household work
Worry about work when not working
Women Men
Figure 9: Work–life conflict dimensions, by gender, EU27 (%)

the mode of work, around 30% of workers on average
report worrying about work when not working – the
highest rating in terms of the five dimensions of work–life
conflict that were included in the e-survey from the
European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). The top
concern has changed compared to the 2015 EWCS, when
‘being too tired to do household jobs’ was the most
commonly reported issue (Figure 9).
Work–life balance is challenging for workers
with young children
One group that is particularly challenged by the change in
work patterns as a result of COVID-19 are people with
children, given that in the present circumstances they
cannot avail of childcare services and in some cases also
have to supervise schooling at home. This is especially the
case for parents of young children. For example, over one in
five persons (22%) living with young children (under 12)
reported diiculties in concentrating on their job all or
most of the time, compared to just 5% of households with
no children and 7% with children aged 12–17 (Figure 10).
The work–family conflict experienced by people with young
children has always been slightly more prevalent than
among people with older children or with no children in the
household. However, at present, the proportion of people
with young children (under 12) finding it hard to divide
time between work and family, as well as to focus on work,
is larger by a huge margin compared to other groups.
Of those working from home at present, over a quarter
(26%) live in households with children under 12, with
another 10% living with children aged 12–17. It would be
important to take the needs of this large group into
consideration when designing arrangements for working
time and workload, as well as in terms of leave and support
measures in the new context of current or changing rules of
life.
Financial situation and COVID-19
This final section looks at the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on people’s living conditions and financial
situation. With many people out of work or without
income, the survey points to widespread economic
insecurity among respondents.6
Around 4 in 10 respondents are pessimistic
about their financial situation
A high proportion of respondents (38%) say their financial
situation is now worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic,
when the European Union was still experiencing strong
economic growth (Figure 11). This finding is almost double
that of the 2016 EQLS, when 21% of Europeans indicated
that their situation had got worse. Furthermore, many
people express concern about the immediate future, with
38% of respondents stating that they believe their financial
situation will be worse in three months’ time.
7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Family prevents giving time for job
Hard to concentrate on job because of family
Job prevents giving time to family
Too tired aer work to do household work
Worry about work when not working
Children under 12 Both children under 12 and 12–17 Children aged 12–17 No children
Figure 10: Work–life conflict dimensions, by type of household, EU27 (%)
6Under the SURE programme, the EU will set aside up to €100 billion in the
form of loans granted on favourable terms to EU countries that request
support. Assistance would finance national short-time work schemes,
unemployment benefits and similar job protection measures.

Sharp dierences are observed at country level, with a
48 percentage point gap between the Member State with
the lowest (Denmark at 12%) and highest (Bulgaria at 60%)
proportion of respondents reporting that their financial
situation is now worse than three months ago. A slightly
higher gap is found between the lowest and the highest
country for those that expect their financial situation to
deteriorate over the next three months (52 percentage
point gap between Denmark at 10% and Bulgaria at 62%).
The proportion of those who perceive that their financial
situation has worsened since the onset of the COVID-19
crisis is higher among those aged 35 to 49 (44%) than
among those aged over 50 (35%). Respondents in this
middle-age group are also the least optimistic about their
financial situation in three months’ time (42% expect it to
get worse).
Signals of financial distress are voiced most frequently by
the self-employed and unemployed. Among both
categories, around two respondents in three (64% and
66% respectively) are of the view that their financial
situation has deteriorated since the onset of the crisis;
52% of self-employed respondents and 49% of
unemployed respondents indicate that they are worried
that their financial situation will get worse over the next
three months.
Over half of respondents have insuicient
savings to cope without an income
Over half of respondents (56%) state that they are unable to
maintain their standard of living for more than three
months without an income: 27% have no savings at all and
29% have just enough to cover three months (Figure 12).
Even in the wealthier Member States, over a third of
respondents say they do not have suicient savings to
manage without an income for more than three months
(for example, 35% in Luxembourg, 40% in Austria, 42% in
Sweden, 43% in Denmark and 46% in the Netherlands). In
the countries that have been hardest hit by the pandemic,
there is strong variation in terms of this indicator. While in
Italy the proportion that could get by for up to three
months is similar to the countries listed above (45%),
the proportions are much higher in Spain (53%) and
France (59%).
8
Figure 11: Respondents’ financial situation three months ago and in three months’ time by country* (%)
0 10203040506070
Denmark
Luxembourg
Sweden
Netherlands
Belgium
Finland
Austria
France
Germany
Czechia
Estonia
Ireland
EU27
Lithuania
Latvia
Portugal
Slovenia
Malta
Slovakia
Spain
Italy
Romania
Croatia
Greece
Hungary
Cyprus
Poland
Bulgaria
0 10203040506070
Denmark
Finland
Luxembourg
Sweden
Austria
Netherlands
Czechia
Belgium
France
Germany
Estonia
Lithuania
Malta
Latvia
Ireland
EU27
Italy
Romania
Portugal
Slovakia
Cyprus
Spain
Slovenia
Croatia
Hungary
Poland
Greece
Bulgaria
Note: * Percentage saying situation is worse compared to three months ago (left) and percentage saying situation will be worse in three months’ time (right).

Although in general older people tend to have accumulated
more savings, close to half of the retired respondents in the
sample indicate that they could only get by without income
for less than three months. The situation is most pressing
for unemployed respondents: three-quarters of this group
would not get by for more than three months, with 45%
stating they have no savings at all.
Financial insecurity most acute for those who
have lost their jobs
Of the respondents who have lost their job permanently
during the crisis, 90% reported that their household’s
financial situation worsened, 44% have no savings and
35% have just enough savings to maintain their current
standard of living for three months (Figure 13). These
results highlight the importance of social protection for
certain groups in the wake of the crisis. Given the
limitations to utilising social contacts and getting informal
support during the period of physical distancing, these
people are particularly dependent on the adequacy and
eectiveness of social protection policies.
Around half of all households report
diiculties in making ends meet
The survey results reveal that due to the economic
implications of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, more
households are under financial strain than before the crisis
began. Close to half of all respondents (47%) indicate that
their household has diiculties making ends meet: one
respondent in ten (10%) reports great diiculty, 13% say
they have diiculty, and around one in four (24%) reports
that their household has some diiculty making ends meet
(Figure 14).
In comparison, the 2016 EQLS showed that 41% of
Europeans were found to experience financial hardship.
What is particularly notable is that the proportion reporting
great diiculty is considerably higher (almost double)
during the COVID-19 pandemic (10% compared to 6% for
the EQLS).
The extent to which households have diiculties making
ends meet varies greatly between countries. In the present
survey, the proportion reporting great diiculty is lowest in
Denmark (2%), Estonia(4%), the Netherlands and Austria
(both 5%) and highest in Greece (24%), Bulgaria (20%),
Croatia (18%) and Slovakia (17%). As a comparison, in the
2016 EQLS, the proportion reporting great diiculty was
below 5% in 12 countries against only 2 countries recorded
in this survey.
A very large proportion (82%) of respondents who are
unemployed report that their household has diiculties
making ends meet. This is twice that of households in
employment, highlighting the urgent need for financial
support to households that are out of work during the
COVID-19 crisis.
9
Figure 12: Proportion of respondents with no savings
or who can only maintain current living standards
without income for less than three months by
employment status, EU27 (%)
0 1020304050607080
Employee
Self-employed
Retired
Unemployed
EU27
No savings Less than 3 months
29
34
35
24
34
44
33
55
69
28
75
90
0 20406080100
Have not lost jobs
Lost job/contracts temporarily
Lost job/contracts permanently
Financial situation is worse than
3 months ago
Expect their financial situation in
3 months will be worse than now
Have no savings
Have savings for less than
3 months
Figure 13: Proportion of respondents with financial insecurities, EU27 (%)

Being in arrears is a significant problem for
the unemployed and self-employed
That financial hardship is particularly prevalent among the
unemployed is evident also from the high proportion of
respondents stating that their household has problems
paying their bills: 28% of unemployed respondents are in
arrears with utility bills; 24% are behind with repaying
consumer loans; 23% have arrears on their telephone,
mobile or internet connection bill; 22% report being in
arrears on rent or mortgage payments; 21% are behind in
repaying informal loans; and 16% are in arrears on
payments for healthcare or health insurance. As can be
seen from Figure 15, these figures are far above the survey
average. The graph shows that the self-employed on
average report more arrears – the proportions are much
lower for respondents who are employed or retired.
There are large dierences between countries for all types
of arrears. Not being able to aord the rent or mortgage is a
problem for 23% of respondents in Cyprus and 22% of
respondents in Greece. In other Member States, the
proportions range from 2% in Denmark to 15% in Bulgaria
and Croatia.
One unemployed respondent in five is fearful
of losing their home
While several Member States have put in place measures to
avoid evictions of people from their homes, still 6% of all
respondents indicate that it is (‘very’ or ‘rather’) likely that
they will have to leave their accommodation within the
next six months because they can no longer aord the rent
(Figure 16). This share increases to 20% of those who are
unemployed and 11% of those who are self-employed. One
unemployed respondent in ten (11%) estimates this to be
very likely.
Except for Cyprus (17%) and Greece (14%), the perceived
threat of eviction in the other countries is 10% or less and
lowest in the Netherlands and Austria (both 2%).
10
Figure 14: Difficulties making ends meet by
employment status, EU27 (%)
0 102030405060708090
Employee
Self-employed
Retired
Unemployed
EU27
With great difficulty With difficulty With some difficulty
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Rent/mortgage Utility bills Consumer loans Tel/mobile/internet Informal loans Healthcare/insurance
Employee Self-employed Unemployed Retired EU27
Figure 15: Proportion of respondents reporting household arrears, by employment status, EU27 (%)
Figure 16: Risk of losing home, EU27 (%)
0 5 10 15 20
Employee
Self-employed
Retired
Unemployed
EU27
Very likely Rather likely

Europe’s responses to the
COVID-19
At present, Member States and the EU are addressing these
problems and concerns through the rapid implementation
of a large range of support measures.
These first results highlight the impact on people’s quality
of life and work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final results on the impact of these changes over time
will be published in September. Eurofound is monitoring
the evolving situation regarding measures taken by policy
actors to combat the eects of the pandemic on living and
working conditions. It will also provide in-depth analyses of
specific topics. More information can be found at
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/topic/covid-19
Further information
You can sign up to receive a copy of the final e-survey analysis Living, working and COVID-19 in September 2020 at
http://eurofound.link/ef20059
Research Managers: Daphne Ahrendt, Massimiliano Mascherini
information@eurofound.europa.eu
www.eurofound.europa.eu
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions EF/20/058/EN