The Level of Housing Conditions in the EU Countries
Purpose: This article mainly aims to assess the level and identify the differences in terms of housing conditions of the EU population in 2008 and 2019. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was based on empirical data obtained from Eurostat, which were processed using basic descriptive statistics methods and taxonomic methods. The presented study required conducting empirical research to achieve the main research objective and to answer research questions. The empirical research consisted of two stages including unidimensional and multidimensional (synthetic) analyses. In the first stage of the research using basic descriptive statistics methods, the level and diversity of housing conditions of the EU population were assessed based on the analysis of selected indicators. In the second stage of the research, due to the complex nature of the studied phenomenon, the selected model method of construction of the synthetic measure was used for assessing the level and diversity of housing conditions of the EU population. Findings: The study reveals that during the period under review there was a significant improvement and reduction in disproportions concerning the level of housing conditions of the EU population. The highest level of housing conditions was observed in Finland, while the lowest in Greece. The level of housing conditions is significantly higher in the Central Western European and Scandinavian countries. Practical Implications: The results of the conducted empirical research are of both cognitive and applied nature to create an appropriate cohesion policy in the European Union. The implementation of cohesion policy in the EU is not possible without efforts to reduce economic poverty, including housing poverty. Therefore, it is of great importance to monitor the level of housing conditions in each country to create appropriate social policies. Originality/value: The results of the conducted research and of theoretical considerations included in this article complement previous research in the field of the assessment of living standards and housing conditions of the EU population.