A recent Eurobarometer report brings to the fore a “multi-speed” Europe. Nearly two in three citizens in Greece, 65%, report negative emotions — the highest rate in the EU.
This snapshot of social reality captures the way citizens experience their everyday lives, displaying feelings of uncertainty, disappointment and stress, among others.
At a time when the European project is trying to absorb the shocks of successive crises, Greek society appears to be operating under prolonged pressure.
Social discontent is reaching breaking point, revealing multiple emotional fractures.
How do European citizens feel?
Across the 27 member states, the emotional distribution shows significant variations, according to the Eurobarometer. Forty-four percent of Europeans cite “uncertainty” as the dominant emotion, while 43% counter it with “hope.” These findings reflect a society in transition: one that is certainly worried, but still retains significant reserves of optimism.
In Greece, however, the picture is dramatic. Citizens’ feelings of unease raise serious concerns.
Uncertainty dominates at 59%, a difference of 15 points from the European average.
One in two citizens in Greece, 50%, cite “stress” as their main emotional state, a rate more than double the corresponding European figure of 21%. At the same time, “disappointment” reaches 48%, compared with 23% in the EU, while “anger” is recorded at 31%, compared with 15%.
This is a social body experiencing the current economic climate in terms of existential pressure. The fact that “security” is found in just 15% of the Greek sample, compared with 33% in the EU, and “happiness” in only one in 10 citizens, 10% in Greece versus 22% in the EU, points to the absence of positive emotions in citizens’ daily lives.
“The decade-long financial crisis, the pandemic, the rising cost of living, job insecurity and the housing crisis affect individuals’ perceptions of their subjective well-being, intensifying insecurity, low trust in institutions and reduced expectations for the future,” Katerina Iliou, a social psychologist and researcher at the National Centre for Social Research, tells To Vima.
Indicators of subjective well-being are treated as a “precursor” for assessing social cohesion and the resilience of state institutions.
Our self-perception of our standard of living arises mainly through comparison with the living standards of other social groups or other countries. As Iliou explains to To Vima: “We compare our standard of living with the past, with our fellow citizens, as well as with other European countries. When, through social comparison, we feel that we lack the resources for a good life while others are doing better, subjective well-being declines and the ground is laid for feelings of uncertainty, pessimism and anger.”
The generational gap in quality of life
At the level of the general population, the share of people who say they are satisfied with their quality of life in Greece stands at 63%, diverging significantly from the very high European Union average of 83%.
The distribution of the data by age group offers a more detailed reading of the findings. Satisfaction with life in Greece follows a sharply declining trajectory, inversely proportional to the age of the sample. Specifically:
Among those aged 15 to 24, satisfaction reaches 88%, aligning with European standards.
Among those aged 25 to 39, it falls to 73%.
Among those aged 40 to 54, it drops further to 64%.
Among citizens over the age of 55, satisfaction plunges to 52%.
“The younger age group is often recorded in social surveys as more optimistic than other demographic groups. This tendency is called optimism bias and is due to the life stage of youth. Since young people have not yet experienced the difficulties of the life cycle that older individuals have gone through, they tend to overestimate the chances of positive events and underestimate the chances of negative events,” social psychologist Katerina Iliou notes.
In Greece in 2026, nearly half of citizens over the age of 55 believe they live in conditions that do not meet their expectations. This finding, combined with the fact that 43% of the general sample, compared with 27% in the EU, report a deterioration in their quality of life over the past 12 months, points to an adverse reality for middle-aged and older citizens.
This statistical pattern is rare in developed economies, where older age groups have historically reported higher, or at least comparable, levels of satisfaction with younger people, having established their housing and professional situation. That does not appear to be the case in Greece.
What does a “good standard of living” mean in Greece?
How, then, is the concept of a “good quality of life” defined by Greek society?
A “good standard of living” in Greece appears to be highly material in nature and is defined by the need to cover basic conditions of survival and security, in contrast with other EU member states, where non-material values are assessed as more important.
“Financial situation and the ability to cover daily expenses” is identified with quality of life by 72% of Greeks, while the corresponding figure in Europe is 49%. “Quality and accessibility of healthcare” follows as the second critical pillar, at 68%, compared with 46% in the EU. “Job security” defines well-being for 64%, compared with just 38% in the EU, while “affordable and quality housing” stands at 60%, compared with 37%.
The link between quality of life and the ability to cover monthly expenses or access the healthcare system reflects the state of insecurity that governs social reality.
High prices and their knock-on effects on citizens’ daily lives emerge as generative forces behind social anxiety and citizens’ sense of weakness and helplessness.
It is telling that, when ranking the priorities the European Parliament should set, Greeks place first the control of inflation and the cost of living, at 52%; second, economic growth and job creation, at 51%; third, public health, at 49%; and fourth, the fight against poverty, at 45%. The differences between these figures and the European findings, which are distributed much more evenly across issues such as climate change or defense, are characteristic of the distinct needs base of citizens in Greece.
European security and economic insecurity
How do Greeks feel about the European Union?
In terms of expectations, the Greek sample appears firmly pro-European. Seventy-one percent recognize the EU as a place of stability in a turbulent world, while an overwhelming 81% call on European institutions to take on an even more central role in protection from global crises — geopolitical, energy-related and health-related. The demand for “more Europe” as a geopolitical umbrella of protection is indisputable.
However, only 63% of citizens believe Greece has benefited overall from its membership in the EU, 11 points below the historically high European average of 74%. Nearly one in three, 32%, believe that EU membership has not brought benefits to Greece.
When 37% of Greeks estimate that their personal standard of living will worsen over the next five years, compared with 29% in the EU, it becomes clear that the protection offered by the European Union is considered sufficient against external threats, but insufficient in translating into domestic economic prosperity and social mobility.
Greek society under pressure
Greek society is operating at the limits of its endurance, having exhausted its tolerance for policies that do not have an immediate impact on improving the material conditions of daily life. Purchasing power, housing costs and access to healthcare are major concerns for Greek society.
The country’s macroeconomic picture, with growth recorded across many economic indicators, is a far cry from the population’s subjective sense of well-being. The gap between macroeconomic indicators and social reality is perhaps the most important political issue of the decade we are living through.
