Europe has endured a decade of disruption, with robust progress following the Nice Recession short-lived earlier than the financial and social disruption attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The human toll of the pandemic, which touched each neighborhood all through the EU, no sooner abated than the struggle on Ukraine started — with individuals all through Europe responding in a wave of solidarity and assist for the Ukrainian individuals.
We now face a winter of uncertainty, and probably discontent. The price of residing is rising quickly, and the specter of recession looms.
We now face a winter of uncertainty, and probably discontent. The price of residing is rising quickly, and the specter of recession looms. The common inflation price throughout the EU was shut to eight p.c in March, and residents are feeling the pinch, with 53 p.c of respondents to Eurofound’s Residing, working and COVID-19 e-survey reporting that their family had difficulties making ends meet in spring 2022, and 16 p.c indicating being in arrears on their family utility payments.
These points are impacting residents’ belief in establishments. Eurofound’s e-surveys point out a lower in belief in nationwide establishments within the EU amongst respondents by 13.4 p.c on common for the reason that starting of the pandemic in spring 2020. This consists of decreases in belief in nationwide governments (-24.5 p.c), well being care techniques (-10.2 p.c) and the police (-8.1 p.c).
The financial challenges that Europeans are at present going through, and people to come back … might act as a catalyst for the unfold of misinformation.
All of the extra of concern, these declines in belief had been recorded at a time of an upswing in financial exercise with reducing restrictions and unemployment declining, to a price the place it was beneath pre-pandemic ranges. The unfold of misinformation on social media and elevated isolation in the course of the pandemic might, due to this fact, have been a key driver. Certainly, Eurofound analysis signifies that belief in establishments is decrease when social media is a major information supply. The financial challenges that Europeans are at present going through, and people to come back within the months forward, might act as a catalyst for the unfold of misinformation, making a difficult scenario even worse, and sowing the seeds of discontent and dissatisfaction among the many most susceptible and remoted.
It’s on this context that Eurofound is branching out with its communications. Eurofound, or extra formally, the European Basis for the Enchancment of Residing and Working Circumstances, was one of many first EU businesses to be established, taking its seat in Dublin shortly after Eire entered the EEC in 1973. Eurofound has been producing analysis for near 50 years on find out how to enhance the residing circumstances, working circumstances, and the standard of life of individuals all through the EU.
Eurofound Talks is a part of Eurofound’s general fast analysis and communications response to the challenges of the pandemic and the struggle in Ukraine.
Eurofound Talks is a part of Eurofound’s general fast analysis and communications response to the challenges of the pandemic and the struggle in Ukraine. The podcast sequence explores vital social rights points on the EU and nationwide agenda, how they have an effect on residents’ particular person lives and work, and what might be achieved to form a greater future for Europe. Whereas Eurofound’s in-depth analysis reviews and knowledge stay on the middle of its actions and are of vital curiosity to policymakers at each nationwide and EU ranges, Eurofound Talks additionally speaks on to residents and those who need to discover out extra about how Europe is altering, and in what method.
To date, the sequence has explored find out how to make work participating and rewarding all through the life course, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted numerous facets of younger individuals’s lives throughout the EU, setbacks on the highway to gender equality and the significance of enough minimal wages in Europe. Essentially the most-recent episode casts a watch on the digital age and particularly platform work: its potential, and the way its progress has introduced legislative and sensible challenges for Europe. On this context, Eurofound’s consultants focus on the broader implications of recent types of employment on the labor market, the growing affect of algorithms on our lives, and the way new applied sciences can impression long-standing points corresponding to the precise to disconnect and difficulties discovering work—life steadiness.
Eurofound, by its close to 5 many years of expertise and dedication to evidence-based analysis … is a trusted supply of goal data for these shut to those coverage points within the EU.
Eurofound, by its close to 5 many years of expertise and dedication to evidence-based analysis on what it’s actually prefer to stay and work in Europe, is a trusted supply of goal data for these shut to those coverage points within the EU. Because of this, a lot of the work of the company’s consultants is commonly unglamorous and intentionally understated. Eurofound Talks is constructed upon numerous hours of cautious analysis and is in that regard a great useful resource for residents fatigued with a clickbait tradition that seeks to impress outrage and stoke concern and confusion.
Subscribe the place you get your podcasts, or hear at no cost and with out ads on Eurofound’s web site, and observe the information on how Europe is altering and what it means for all of us.
