EQLS: Albanians live in poor conditions

EQLS: Albanians live in poor conditions
Compared to Europeans, a high percentage of Albanian citizens are homeowners, however, their living conditions are not considered to be optimal in terms of insufficient living space, water, showers, heating and so on

Although 87% of Albanians own their homes, their living spaces are too small and they seem to lack other amenities in their homes such as a toilet or a shower.

According to the European Quality of Life Survey carried by the European Commission, around 17% of respondents have answered that they lack a toilet or a shower in their homes, while 43% of respondents (the highest percentage in Europe) have said that their space at home is too small.

On average, respondents in Albania have answered that they only have two rooms in their homes and this is the lowest number among EU member countries and aspiring member countries.

Albania also has the biggest percentage (40%) of households which have claimed that they have moisture inside their homes.

Around 12% of respondents have answered that they also lack a toilet with running water, while in Montenegro, this figure was only 3%.

Albanians also have problems with heating. Around 26% of respondents have answered that they are unable to have adequate heating inside their homes.

Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) documents living conditions and people’s social situation, and explores issues pertinent to the lives of European citizens.

The EQLS 2016 interviewed nearly 37,000 people in 33 countries – the 28 EU Member States and 5 candidate countries (Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). Its findings provide detailed information on a broad range of issues in three main areas:

  • Quality of life: subjective well-being, optimism, health, standard of living and aspects of deprivation, work–life balance
  • Quality of society: social insecurity, perception of social exclusion and societal tensions, trust in people and institutions, participation and community engagement, and involvement in training/life-long learning
  • Quality of public services: health-care, long-term care, childcare and other public services