Live Good
Countedrents up 2.6% a year
Feltconfidence below average
Looks steady, feels tighter.
Rents rise every month regardless. Confidence fell hard in spring and has not recovered.
Business Hippie Club · Quality of Life Atlas
QOL Atlas Dashboard
from signals to patterns
quality of life in Europe, read month by month
Updated 12 October 2026 · next update 10 November 2026
- What it is
- Everything Business Hippie Club reads about quality of life, in one place. The public figures, our monthly Atlas, the City Signals from our fieldwork, and the Compass, where people answer for themselves. Updated every month, open and free to read whenever you like.
- What it shows
- Where life as it’s counted and life as it’s felt part ways. It starts with Europe and comes down to one city, the people in it, and you.
- Who it’s for
- Anyone who shapes how other people live and work, in a company, a city, a foundation, or in research and policy. And anyone who wants to see where their own life fits.
1
Europe
the widest viewAs of 12 October 2026
The short answer, pillar by pillar. What gets counted, what gets felt, and whether the distance between them is closing. Brought up to date after every Atlas edition.
Main finding
Life looks steadier than it feels. On three pillars, what gets counted and what gets felt pull apart. Only Feel Good moves the right way on both.
Work Good
Countedunemployment at 6.4%
Felt12% engaged
Plenty of jobs, not much heart in them.
Most people who want work have it. One in eight is involved in it.
Feel Good
Counted65 years in good health
Felt87% satisfied
Healthier, and more satisfied.
More years in good health than before Covid, and nearly nine in ten satisfied with their life. Two good signs, side by side.
Do Good
Countedvolunteering down a third
Felttrust steady at 5.8
Fewer hands, trust still holding.
Fewer people give their time. Trust has not fallen with it, yet.
Europe used to meet by accident. The places where that happened are emptying.The signal of September 2026
Each of these rests on two figures. Here they are.
As of 12 October 2026
Each pillar has two figures: what gets counted, and how people feel about it. Where they part ways is where the Atlas looks.
Live Good
Counted
Rents, year on year
2.6% ▼ Aug
Felt
Consumer confidence
−16.5balance ▼ Sep
Rents rise a little every month, whatever the news. Confidence dropped hard in spring and has not made it back.
Work Good
Counted
Unemployment
6.4% ■ Aug
Felt
Engaged at work
12% ▼ 2026
Most people who want work have it. One in eight is involved in it.
Feel Good
Counted
Healthy life years at birth
65.2years ▲ 2024
Felt
Satisfied with the life they lead
87% ▲ Spr 26
A newborn can now expect 65 years in good health, more than before Covid. Nearly nine in ten are satisfied with their life. Two good signs, side by side.
Do Good
Counted
Adults in formal volunteering
12.3% ▼ 2022
Felt
Trust in other people
5.8/10 ■ 2025
About a third fewer people volunteer than in 2015. Trust in others has held at the same level for twelve years.
Those eight come back every month. The editions bring others. Some fade, some keep returning.
QOL Atlas, monthly editions
Every monthly Atlas quotes figures to back up its reading, such as rents, working hours or how many people volunteer. Since January that adds up to 55 figures. Here they are, grouped by subject. Each row is one subject. The coloured squares show the months it came up, so a long row means a pressure that keeps returning. Click a row to see the figures and where they come from.
Lasting pressures
Three subjects keep coming back: working hours, volunteers and consumer confidence.
SubjectJan 2026Sep 2026Latest figure
Keep coming back
Working hours 3 months · 6 figures~37 hWorking week in western Europe
- Apr 202690%+Companies keeping the four-day week after the trialfour-day week trial
- May 20262×Teleworkers more likely to pass the 48-hour weekEurofound
- Jun 2026~90Employers in Poland's shorter-week pilotPolish government pilot
- Jun 20265,000+Workers in that pilotPolish government pilot
- Jun 20269 in 10Greek workers preferring fewer hours over morethe Atlas edition
- Jun 2026~37 hWorking week in western Europethe Atlas edition
Volunteers 3 months · 6 figures27% → 16%Adults in England volunteering monthly, over a decade
- Jul 202678Spanish Red Cross emergency sheltersSpanish Red Cross
- Jul 20264,400+People held in those sheltersSpanish Red Cross
- Aug 2026~250,000Firefighters in Francethe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~80%Of them unpaid volunteersthe Atlas edition
- Sep 202627% → 16%Adults in England volunteering monthly, over a decadethe Atlas edition
- Sep 20261 in 6German sports clubs whose survival is threatened by the volunteer shortagethe Atlas edition
Consumer confidence 3 months · 3 figures−15.1EU consumer confidence, up for a third month
- Apr 2026—Consumer confidence falling for a third monthEU consumer survey
- Jun 2026—Consumer confidence up for a second monthEU consumer survey
- Jul 2026−15.1EU consumer confidence, up for a third monthEU consumer survey
Came up twice
Heat, sleep and quiet 2 months · 7 figures+75%Searches for cooler destinations, year on year
- Jul 2026330,000+People evacuated in the Spain and France firesthe Atlas edition
- Jul 202627Italian cities on red heat alert at onceItalian heat watch
- Jul 202656 hSleep lost to night heat per year, 2020–25, average citythe Atlas edition
- Jul 2026+40%Odds of under six hours' sleep on a hot nighttracker study, 318,000 people
- Aug 2026+75%Searches for cooler destinations, year on yearthe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026+50%Nordic bookingsthe Atlas edition
- Aug 20262 hTime in nature per week where wellbeing gains shownature and wellbeing research
Housing costs 2 months · 4 figures~29%EU rents over a decade
- Apr 2026+28%EU rents over fifteen years, against wagesthe Atlas edition
- Apr 20261 in 10Europeans spending over 40% of income on housingthe Atlas edition
- May 2026~29%EU rents over a decadeEurostat housing dashboard
- May 20261 in 10City-dwellers spending over 40% of income on housingEurostat
Loneliness and friendship 2 months · 4 figures1 in 2016- to 21-year-olds in England with no close friends (1 in 100 in 2014)
- May 202613%Europeans lonely most or all of the timeJRC, EU loneliness survey
- May 202635%Europeans lonely at least some of the timeJRC, EU loneliness survey
- Sep 20261 in 2016- to 21-year-olds in England with no close friends (1 in 100 in 2014)IPPR
- Sep 202684% → 72%Young people with at least three close friendsIPPR
One month's story
Moving: second homes, work, talent 1 month · 9 figures~1 in 4European homeowners with a second property
- Aug 2026~1 in 4European homeowners with a second propertythe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~1 in 10French homes that are second homesthe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~97%Second homes in one Pyrenees ski communethe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~1 in 2Alicante purchases by foreign buyersSpanish property registrars
- Aug 2026~60Countries running a visa for remote workersthe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~9 in 10Europeans who would consider living abroadthe Atlas edition
- Aug 20261 in 2Young Spaniards planning or wanting to leavethe Atlas edition
- Aug 202610%+Romanian and Croatian graduates living in another EU countrythe Atlas edition
- Aug 2026~50EU regions in a talent development trapEuropean Commission
Schools and births 1 month · 5 figures2Pupils left in the school on Kalamos (40 ten years ago)
- Sep 20262Pupils left in the school on Kalamos (40 ten years ago)the Atlas edition
- Sep 202675Schools closed in Greece this yearthe Atlas edition
- Sep 2026400+Greek schools with classes suspendedthe Atlas edition
- Sep 20263.55 mEU births in 2024, about half the 1964 peakEurostat
- Sep 2026~100,000Fewer primary pupils expected in Finland by 2040the Atlas edition
Engagement at work 1 month · 4 figures12%European employees engaged at work (20% globally)
- Sep 202612%European employees engaged at work (20% globally)Gallup
- Sep 20268%Engaged at work in FranceGallup
- Sep 202649%European workers rating their life as good (34% globally)Gallup
- Sep 202622,000Stellantis office staff called back full-time by 2027the Atlas edition
Switching off from work 1 month · 3 figures81.6%People in Spain answering work messages out of hours
- Jul 202681.6%People in Spain answering work messages out of hoursthe Atlas edition
- Jul 2026+16.6 ptsRise in that share in one yearthe Atlas edition
- Jul 202663%Still replying while on holidaythe Atlas edition
Burnout 1 month · 2 figures75%+Workers worldwide reporting some form of burnout
- Apr 202675%+Workers worldwide reporting some form of burnoutfive-country study
- Apr 202670%Feel pressure to appear okay at workfive-country study
Phones and attention 1 month · 2 figures3 in 4Dutch secondary schools seeing better concentration after the phone ban
- Sep 20263 in 4Dutch secondary schools seeing better concentration after the phone banDutch government survey, 317 schools
- Sep 2026~2 in 3Of them reporting a better social climateDutch government survey
Europe-wide figures show the pattern, not the place. To see where it lands, go to one city.
2
QOL Tour fieldworkA city
one place, up closeThe Atlas reads Europe from a distance. The City Signals read one place up close: weeks of walking, coffeetalks, and the public figures checked against both.
Four cities so far.
Main finding
Four cities, the same two pressures: a home people can hold on to, and belonging beyond the front door. Both come up in every city we've read.
City Signals · QOL Tour
Athens
Fieldwork July 2026 · five signals
“We all have the same problem, so we don't bother each other with it.”heard in Athens
- 01belonging stops at the front door13 Belonging in an age of disconnection17 Belonging to a larger whole01 A life with dignity, for everyone
- 02the inherited city02 Basic living conditions for everyone01 A life with dignity, for everyone
- 03thirty-four, and still at home02 Basic living conditions for everyone15 Progress that feels human
- 04the life is right. the city is not03 Places built for humans06 A peaceful and safe life
- 05long hours, no way up07 Work that supports life, not drains it09 A fair exchange for your time
City Signals · QOL Tour
Bologna
Fieldwork 2026 · five signals
“Tirare a campare – getting by.”heard in Bologna
- 01plain city, rich region04 Enough instead of endless13 Belonging in an age of disconnection01 A life with dignity, for everyone
- 02owned together, entered alone09 A fair exchange for your time07 Work that supports life, not drains it13 Belonging in an age of disconnection
- 03loved by the people leaving02 Basic living conditions for everyone03 Places built for humans12 Time to truly live
- 04beautiful in front, deferred behind03 Places built for humans05 A body that carries you through the day15 Progress that feels human
- 05old revolt, new question14 A say in your own life17 Belonging to a larger whole15 Progress that feels human
City Signals · QOL Tour
Lisbon
Fieldwork Nov–Dec 2025 · five signals
“Lisbon is a solo experience, not a collective one.”heard in Lisbon
- 01the city is being kept as a frontage02 Basic living conditions for everyone01 A life with dignity, for everyone03 Places built for humans
- 02the wage is a number, not a negotiation07 Work that supports life, not drains it09 A fair exchange for your time
- 03friendly to everyone, close to nobody13 Belonging in an age of disconnection01 A life with dignity, for everyone17 Belonging to a larger whole
- 04Portugal educates, someone else employs09 A fair exchange for your time15 Progress that feels human
- 05nothing will change, and they have good reason to think so14 A say in your own life10 Feeling alive, not just functioning
City Signals · QOL Tour
Ibiza
Fieldwork autumn 2025 · five signals
“If living here becomes impossible, I'm gone.”heard in Ibiza
- 01no room, no staff, no argument01 A life with dignity, for everyone02 Basic living conditions for everyone
- 02less must, more may, and nothing underneath it10 Feeling alive, not just functioning14 A say in your own life
- 03you're in fast, and gone just as fast13 Belonging in an age of disconnection17 Belonging to a larger whole
- 04the napkin agreements are gone, the families aren't09 A fair exchange for your time15 Progress that feels human
- 05happiness first, and you build the rest yourself07 Work that supports life, not drains it12 Time to truly live
In a city we hear it in coffeetalks. The Compass asks people directly, and counts the answers.
3
Compass study · updated monthlyPeople
what they say themselvesPublic figures count conditions and ask how satisfied people are. The Compass asks what they don’t: what a good life looks like to each person, and how far theirs is from it. Only totals are shown, so no one can be picked out.
Main finding
What people want most is belonging and time to live. Feel Good, where most of that sits, scores among the lowest.
Voices so far
92
Towards the first 1,000 voices by 1 January 2027. Running total since the study opened in June.
Where people say their life stands, by pillar
Between six and seven out of ten on every pillar. An early read, and averages hide wide differences between people.
Average score, 0 to 10, from the life lens. The longer the bar, the better people rate that part of their life.
92 people so far, on their own life. Workplaces and cities appear here once enough people have joined.
What people put first
The goals people chose when describing their ideal life, life lens. Share of the 92 people who did.
Four of the five sit in Feel Good, among the lowest-scoring pillars. An early read, but the one to watch.
Europe, a city, people: three ways of looking. The 17 Living Goals tie them together.
↔
Atlas, City Signals and CompassAcross all three
the 17 Living GoalsThe 17 Living Goals are our map of what a good life needs. Every Atlas edition, every City Signal and every Compass answer is linked to the goals it touches. Below, the ones that come up most. Pick any goal to see every signal behind it, from Europe down to one city.
Main finding
“Belonging in an age of disconnection” comes up most: 17 signals, from the Atlas and all four cities. And 80% of Compass respondents put it first.
1Belonging in an age of disconnection17 signals · Feel GoodPut first by 80% in the Compass2Places built for humans12 signals · Live GoodPut first by 14% in the Compass3Belonging to a larger whole12 signals · Do GoodPut first by 22% in the Compass4Work that supports life, not drains it11 signals · Work GoodPut first by 47% in the Compass
Live Good
Work Good
Feel Good
Do Good
Goal 13 · Feel Good
Belonging in an age of disconnection
17 signals across the Atlas and the cities
Put first by 80% of Compass respondents
- Sep 2026Do GoodFriendship needs rooms, rooms need volunteers
- Sep 2026Feel GoodThe phone at the school gate
- Sep 2026Live GoodThe last classroom on the island
- Aug 2026Live GoodBelonging to two places, resident of neither
- AthensCity SignalsSignal 01: belonging stops at the front door
- BolognaCity SignalsSignal 02: owned together, entered alone
- BolognaCity SignalsSignal 01: plain city, rich region
- Jun 2026Do GoodTime given in person
- May 2026Do GoodThe third place is coming back
- May 2026Feel GoodConnection recognised as health
- May 2026Work GoodThe cost of the next phase of work is isolation
- May 2026Live GoodThe place people want has people in it
- Apr 2026Do GoodContribution at close range
- Apr 2026Live GoodThe search for ground, closer to home
- Mar 2026Feel GoodWhen the atmosphere belongs to someone else
- LisbonCity SignalsSignal 03: friendly to everyone, close to nobody
- IbizaCity SignalsSignal 03: you're in fast, and gone just as fast
Every level so far is about someone else. The last one is you.
4
And you?
as a person, and in the place you’re responsible forYou’ve seen Europe, a city and the people in it. Now turn it round. The same Compass reads your own life, the people you work with, and the place you serve, and each shapes the others.
Life lens
Your own life
Ten minutes, just for you. Where your own life stands, before you read anyone else’s.
take it yourself →read the posts on lifeBusiness lens
Your people
How the way work is run lands with the people doing it, and what they would change first.
run it with your team →read the posts on workCity lens
Your residents
What the people of your place would put first, and where that sits furthest from the plan.
run it with your residents →read the posts on placesEvery edition, in full, is in the Atlas archive. After that, the question is what it means for your place.
Come back next month
Quality of life doesn’t change overnight. It shifts, month by month, and this page follows it. Each month adds a new Atlas edition, fresh figures and more Compass voices, so the picture gets sharper over time. Come back and see what moved.
Next update: 10 November 2026.
Work together
Recognise your own place in this?
Everything on this page comes from reading places up close. I can do the same for yours – a company, a city or a foundation.
- A day with your team. What these patterns mean for you, and where to start.
- A read of your people. The Compass plus coffeetalks: where life and work actually stand, and what they’d change first.
- A concept for your place. A worked-out idea, developed with you and ready for you to build.
Prices are on the page, the same for everyone.
see how we work together →