Towards the future of Europe: Social factors shaping optimism and pessimism among citizens

1. Image: © Pabloemca/Adobe Stock
Oct 01, 2021 09:00 BST
Ireland and Denmark most optimistic
countries in EU
Ireland and Denmark are the most socially optimistic countries in the EU,
according to Eurofound's Social Optimism Index, a newly developed
composite indicator which measures six variables of optimism among people
in Europe. The index was applied to measure social optimism of citizens in
the EU prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research
from Eurofound has confirmed that Ireland and Denmark remained the most
optimistic countries even after the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Europe.

2. The results of the application of Eurofound's Social Optimism Index to EU
countries is detailed in the new report Towards the future of Europe: Social
factors shaping optimism and pessimism among citizens. The Index measures
personal and national expectations, perceptions of whether the respondent’s
country is going in the 'right or wrong' direction, perceptions of the EU, and
confidence about the future. According to the Index, Ireland rates highest
(0.69), followed by Denmark (0.58), both notably ahead of the third placed
country, Malta (0.42). Greece is shown to be the most pessimistic country in
the EU (-0.65), again by a notable margin.

3. Click here to get the background data
When respondents are categorised as optimists and pessimists, 7 in 10 Irish
people are social optimists, as are close to 7 in 10 Danes. In both countries
fewer than 2 in 10 can be defined as social pessimists. This shows that in
both countries optimism is a collective mood, shared by practically the whole
population. By contrast, 65% of Greeks are socially pessimistic, while only 2
in 10 (21%) are optimistic.

4. Click here to get the background data
The index offers a robust, reliable and precise measure of EU countries’ social
optimism levels. Although the contrasting positions of countries such as
Ireland and Greece perhaps indicate diverging experiences of economic

5. growth, socio-economic and macro-economic influences on social optimism
also have their limits. For example, highly developed countries, such as
Denmark and France, and less affluent countries, such as Portugal and
Czechia, occupy very distant positions in the ranking. This may indicate the
importance of individual factors that drive social optimism levels, such as
community involvement, labour market position, financial situation of
household, and people’s perception of whether their voice counts in their
country.
Separate research from Eurofound based on the Living, working and COVID-19
e-survey have further substantiated the position of Ireland and Denmark as
the EU's most optimistic countries, and the resilience of this optimism to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The pan-European e-survey showed that in July 2020
Denmark had the highest proportion of people expressing optimism about
the future (71%), followed by Ireland (63%). Denmark also had the highest
level of life satisfaction. Greece recorded the lowest level of optimism (34%),
and the second-lowest level of life satisfaction.
Speaking about the research, Klára Fóti, Eurofound Research Manager,
emphasised that in relation to perception of the future, the European Union is
a very divergent place, depending partly on the Member State citizens live in:
'All these data show that, unfortunately, social pessimism is quite widespread
in parts of Europe and that citizens in the EU are living very diverse
experiences which dramatically impact their aspirations for the future. This is
a key issue in the debate around the Future of Europe, and where we want to
go as a collective society.'
Download the report:
• Towards the future of Europe: Social factors shaping optimism
and pessimism among citizens
Further information:
• Data: Living, working and COVID-19

6. For more information about Eurofound and its work, and free access to all our
data and findings, visit our website and follow us on these social media
channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Contacts
James Higgins
Press Contact
Press and media relations
jhi@eurofound.europa.eu
+353-1-204-3100
Måns Mårtensson
Press Contact
Media & Promotion Manager
Media relations, marketing and promotion
mma@eurofound.europa.eu
+353-1-204 3124
+353-876-593 507