One year later: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the life of the Portuguese (March 2021): Full report

Happiness, satisfaction, income, savings and economic confidence (March 2021): Full report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in March 2020 a study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society, in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic, consequent state of emergency and social isolation.

This study, which was run next to 1.000 participants, assessed levels of happiness and satisfaction, economic trust, consumption habits, saving habits, productivity and work conditions of the Portuguese society, as well as satisfaction with, and perceived efficacy of, specific measures implemented by different institutions and Government.

Whenever possible, the results of the present study were compared with values obtained in previous quarterly studies performed by the Observatory of the Portuguese Society. This analysis allows tracking of the evolution of both indicators such as happiness, satisfaction with life and satisfaction with daily activities, and specific indicators of consumption habits, saving habits, economic confidence, and income.

In this study, we found that, in several dimensions, the life of the Portuguese was largely affected by the pandemic. The Portuguese surveyed in this study are less happy, are worried and are not optimistic about the future.

In terms of the contingency measures implemented by the Government to combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the Portuguese show that they trust the performance of health care professionals and the measures implemented by the Government and other entities.

The Portuguese are also rethinking their consumption habits and their ability to save in the future. In general, participants think that they will go back to consuming as before, although more moderately, and show preference for healthier and more sustainable products that can be shared with others. Possibly due to emergency state and the uncertainty of the future, at the time of the study, the respondents indicate that it is easier to live on their net monthly income, they also show more interest in saving in the future but refer a possible decrease in their future savings.

There was a sharp drop in the economic confidence of the Portuguese and a high pessimism about the economic situation of their country, independent from income group.

Finally, the Portuguese in telework that participated in this study report having good working conditions, indicating a good ability to adapt to this new reality of work, although they indicate some difficulty in balancing their personal and professional lives.

Full report

Food habits of the Portuguese (November 2019) - Report

Happiness, well-being, income and savings (November 2019) - Report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in March 2019 a study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 1001 participants, assessed general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, eudemonic and hedonic wellbeing, position in society, changes in consumer habits and saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings in members of the Portuguese society.

Concerning general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, measured transversally between October 2015 and March 2019, results indicate a positive and satisfactory level of global happiness and satisfaction with life in members of the Portuguese Society. However, there is a stagnation in the evolution of these indicators.

Regarding eudemonic and hedonic wellbeing, participants report higher average levels of agreement in most of the eudemonic/functional wellbeing (i.e., free to decide how to live life, positive feelings, optimism, personal fulfillment), as well as, they are mostly satisfied with several domain of the hedonic/personal wellbeing (i.e., security, health, personal relationships, quality of the local environment, life satisfaction in general, feeling of belonging to the community, with what they are achieving in life, and with their standard of living).

Aggregated report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in November 2018 its last study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 968 participants, assessed levels of political trust and trust in government, trust in institutions, assessment of public services, political ideology and intention to vote, changes in consumer habits and saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings, as well as general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, in members of the Portuguese society.

In the present study, the level of satisfaction with the way Portugal is governed is moderate-low (M = 4.81, SD = 2.01) and decreased 4.6% from November 2017 to November 2018. The optimism on how Portugal is governed improve in the next 10 years is moderate (M = 4.97, SD = 2.10) and decreased 7.3% from November 2017 to November 2018.

The institution of the Portuguese society in which the participants most trust is the Presidency of the Republic (M = 6.32, SD = 2.30). After the sudden growth of 46.1% in the mean value of confidence in the Presidency of the Republic between March 2016 and November 2017, the satisfaction with this institution continues high in November 2018. However, there is a decrease of 4.9% between November 2017 and November 2018 (M = 6.64, SD = 2.23 in 2017 and M = 6.32, SD = 2.30 in 2018).

Regarding the intention to vote in the elections of 2019, 55.0% of the participants are sure that they will vote in the election of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in May 2019, 10.6% will not vote, and 34.4% do not know if they will vote. Moreover, 69.8% of the participants are sure that they will vote in the election for the assembly of the Republic (legislative elections) in September/ October 2019, 8.0% will not vote, and 22.2% do not know if they will vote. About the perception of the national vote in the upcoming legislative elections, considering the average percentage of votes expected for each party, the results highlight PS (M = 31.50, SD = 12.97) and PSD (M = 26.63; DP = 12.08) with the highest expected percentage of votes.

Aggregated report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in July 2018 its last study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 961 participants, assessed confidence in the education system, general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, health perception, quality of life, position in society, saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings in members of the Portuguese society.

In the present study, participants reported a moderate-low level of satisfaction with the education system in Portugal and of satisfaction regarding the costs of public education in Portugal (Mean [M] = 5.60; Standard deviation [SD] = 1.93 and M = 5.43, SD = 2.24, respectively, scale ranges from 1 to 10 points). Concerning the level of trust in public schools in Portugal, although participants reported a moderate-low level of trust (M = 6.37, SD = 2.10, scale ranges from 1 to 10 points), there was a 7.8% growth in the confidence level in public schools, between November 2017 and July 2018. Regarding the level of quality, there was an increase of 8.2% in the perception of quality of the education system in Portugal and a 7.7% increase in the perception of quality of the child care system in Portugal, from November 2017 to July 2018, although in general this assessment continues to be moderate-low.

The results on consumption and saving habits indicate that, in general, participants are very interested in saving and have a positive level of saving habits. Concerning economic confidence, a higher proportion of participants assessed Portugal’s current economic conditions as weak or very weak, compared to the proportion that assessed as good or excellent. Nevertheless, a slightly greater proportion of participants report that the economic conditions in Portugal will improve, compared to the ones who think they will get worse. Globally, participants assess the economic conditions in Portugal more negatively than positively, particularly regarding Portugal’s current economic conditions. Compared to data collected in July 2017, there is a negative evolution of this indicator of the economic confidence in Portugal.

Concerning general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, measured transversally between October 2015 and July 2018, results indicate a positive and satisfactory level of global happiness and satisfaction with life in the members of Portuguese Society. However, there is a stagnation in the evolution of these indicators.

Aggregated report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in March 2018 its ninth study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 1000 participants, assessed consumption habits of Portuguese products, general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, eudemonic and hedonic wellbeing, position in society, changes in consumer habits and saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings in members of the Portuguese Society.

In the present study, 36.9% of the participants report that they always try to buy Portuguese products while 35.3% try to buy Portuguese products only for some type of products. The categories of Portuguese products that participants buy the most are fruit and vegetables (89.8%), bread and pastries (85.4%), olive oil (83.6%), dairy products (71.4%), fish and meat products (67.8%). Most of the participants consider the consumption of Portuguese products to be very important (68.8%) and 85.1% are satisfied or very satisfied with the Portuguese products that they buy.

The results on consumption and saving habits indicate that, in general, participants did not change their consumption habits compared to 2017, are very interested in saving and have a positive level of saving habits. Concerning economic confidence, a slightly higher proportion of participants assessed Portugal’s current economic conditions as weak or very weak, compared to the proportion that assessed as good or excellent. Nevertheless, a greater proportion of participants report that the economic conditions in Portugal will improve, compared to the ones who think they will get worse. Globally, participants assess the economic conditions in Portugal more positively than negatively, in particular regarding the improvement of the economic conditions in Portugal. Compared to data collected in March 2017, there is a positive evolution of this indicator of the economic confidence in Portugal.

Concerning general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, measured transversally between October 2015 and March 2018, results indicate a positive and satisfactory level of global happiness and satisfaction with life in the members of Portuguese Society. However, there is a stagnation in the evolution of these indicators.

Aggregated report

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in November 2017 its eighth study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 983 participants, assessed levels of political trust and trust in government, trust in institutions, changes in consumer habits and saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings, as well as general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, in members of the Portuguese Society.

By comparing the results obtained in November 2017 with data collected in March 2016, the mean value of satisfaction with the way Portugal is governed increased by 30.3%, the optimism on how Portugal is governed improve in the next 10 years grew by 17.5% , the satisfaction with job creation grew by 35.1%, with national finances increased by 32.6%, and with economic growth increased by 28.2%. On the other hand, the mean value of satisfaction with issues related to natural phenomena decreased by 23.9%. We highlight that there was an increase of 46.1% in the mean value of confidence in the Presidency of the Republic and of 15.8% in the mean value of confidence in the Assembly of the Republic.

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Sample Characterization  

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in July 2017 its seventh study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 978 participants, assessed changes in consumption habits, saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings, as well as general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, specific levels of satisfaction with life, health perception and quality of life, and position in society in members of the Portuguese Society.

The results on consumption and saving habits indicate that in general participants have not changed their consumption habits compared to 2016, are very interested in saving and have a positive level of saving habits. Regarding economic confidence, a greater proportion of participants assesses Portugal's current economic conditions as weak or very weak, compared to the proportion that rate it as good or excellent. Nevertheless, a greater proportion of participants report that the economic conditions in Portugal will improve, compared to the ones who think they will get worse. Globally, participants assess the economic conditions in Portugal more positively than negatively. Concerning general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, measured transversally between October 2015 and July 2017, results indicate a positive and satisfactory level of global happiness and satisfaction with life in members of the Portuguese society. However, there is a stagnation in the evolution of these indicators. This is a CATÓLICA-LISBON contribution to the civil and academic Society.

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Sample Characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Changes in Consumption Habits, Saving Habits and Economic Confidence

Specific Indicators: Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Health Perception

Specific Indicators: Quality of Life

Specific Indicators: Position in Society 
 

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in May 2017 its sixth study that aimed to characterize levels of happiness and satisfaction with life shared by members of the Portuguese Society, after the victory of Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

This study, which was run next to 498 participants on 16 May 2017 (three days after the victory of Portugal in the song contest), general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life were measured in members of the Portuguese Society. This study also assessed the importance of the victory of Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 and general aspects of patriotism, optimism and happiness related to that victory.

The results obtained in this study seem to suggest that the victory of Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest praises feelings of patriotism, optimism and happiness. Participants revealed a high level of patriotism regarding this victory, with nearly 85% of participants agreeing that they are proud in being Portuguese and agreeing that they feel that their country is important to them. Concerning optimism due to that victory, near 60% of participants agree that they feel confident that they can achieve their goals and about 55% agree that they are more optimistic about the future. Finally, concerning happiness related to the victory of Portugal in the song contest, nearly half of the participants agree that after that victory, they have a more positive attitude towards life and approximately 60% agree that the victory of Portugal makes them feel happier. This suggests a spreading effect of the victory of Portugal on the well-being of members of the Portuguese society. This is a CATÓLICA-LISBON contribution to the civil and academic Society.

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Sample Characterization  

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON completed in March 2017 its fifth study that aimed to assess some variables and characteristics shared by members of the Portuguese Society.

This study, which was run next to 1001 participants, assessed general levels of happiness and satisfaction with life, specific levels of satisfaction with life, eudemonic and hedonic wellbeing, quality of life, changes in consumption habits, saving habits, economic confidence, income and savings, and position in society in members of the Portuguese Society.

The results of the general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, measured transversally between October 2015 and March 2017, suggest a positive evolution of these indicators in members of the Portuguese society. In particular, participants report positive levels of functional and personal well-being, as well as a positive perception of quality of life in several domains. Concerning consumption and saving habits, most participants report that they have not changed their consumption habits compared to 2016, reporting that they are very interested in saving and indicating a positive level of saving habits. In terms of economic confidence, it should be noted that a greater proportion of participants are assessing as weak or very weak Portugal's current economic conditions, compared to the proportion that rate it as good or excellent. In addition, a greater proportion of participants report that the economic conditions in Portugal will improve, compared to the proportion of participants who think they will get worse. This is a CATÓLICA-LISBON contribution to the civil and academic Society.

Aggregated report

Sample Characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Well-being

Specific Indicators: Quality of Life

Specific Indicators: Changes in Consumption Habits, Saving Habits and Economic Confidence

Specific Indicators: Position in Society Sample Characterization

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON performed its forth study in November 2016. This study, which assessed 983 participants, assessed general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, position in society, health perception, loneliness and quality of life, trust in health system, and income and savings in members of the Portuguese Society.

As obtained in the last trimester of 2015, in general, participants reported feeling happy (72%) and being satisfied with life in general (68%). Despite these results, Portugal is still in an average position compared to the remaining European countries.

Concerning position in society, 59% of participants perceives themselves in a central position in society, while 19% is positioned in the upper part of society and 22% in the lower part. When compared to European results obtained in the European Social Survey (ESS) of 2012, our sample has a higher percentage of individuals positioned in the upper side of the society pyramid (19% versus 7%, respectively).

Regarding health perception, 81% of participants report having a good to excellent health, and only 19% refers having fair to poor health. Compared to the remaining European countries, Portugal is one of the European countries with lower levels of participants perceiving their health as good to execelent. Participants reported a very positive perception regarding their current health condition: 84% disagree that they feel that their health limits their participation in social activities, 83% that it interferes with their social relationships, and 81% who find it difficult to perform daily activities due to their health.

About aspects of loneliness, most participants does not refers feeling lonely. In fact, most participants report that they never or almost never feel left out (73%), feel isolated from others (68%), feel that there is no one they can turn to (67%), and that they feel unhappy being so withdrawn (66%). Moreover, 59% can always or most of the time find companionship when they want it. These findings are consistent with those obtained in the ESS of 2014, whose results suggest that Portugal has an average position regarding the remaining European countries.

In what concerns quality of life, 47% of participants report having a very good to good quality of life, 41% consider it as fair and 12% report having a poor or very poor quality of life. 67% of participants report that they have completely or almost completely enough energy for everyday life. Interestingly, only 28% of participants report having enough money to meet their needs, 38% report that the money they have does not meet never or almost never their needs, and 34% report that it only moderately meets their needs. Participants report average levels of satisfaction regarding several aspects of life conditions: ability to perform daily living activities (67% satisfied and very satisfied), health (59% satisfied and very satisfied), conditions of their living place (56% satisfied and very satisfied), and personal relationships (57% satisfied and very satisfied).

Regarding trust in the National Health System (SNS), 93% of participants report that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that all Portuguese have access to health care. Approximately 45% of respondents strongly trust in the National Health System, and the areas they are most satisfied with are quality (40%) and accessibility (36%). Only 27% of participants are satisfied with costs of health care in Portugal.

Lastly, in terms of savings behavior, 89% of participants report being very interested in saving and 48% of participants report that they would need between 500€ and 1000€  to meet their household expenses. Regarding the savings achieved in 2015, 20% of respondents could not manage to save any money, and 53% managed to save up to 20% of their household income. Participants who report lower difficulty in living with their household income have higher average level of general happiness and quality of life compared to participants who report higher difficulty in living with the household income.

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Sample characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Position in Society

The Observatory of Portuguese Society (OPS) of CATÓLICA-LISBON performed a study in the second trimester 2016 (July; 857 participants), assessing general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life in members of the Portuguese Society, within 7 days after the victory of Portugal in Euro 2016.

This study measured the relevance of the victory of Portugal in Euro 2016 and general aspects of patriotism, optimism and happiness related to this victory.

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Sample characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

The Observatory of Portuguese Society (OPS) of CATÓLICA-LISBON performed its second study in the first trimester 2016 (March).

This study, which assessed 998 participants, evaluated general indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life, political trust, trust in government and confidence in institutions, moral and ethics principles, position in society, and income and savings in members of the Portuguese Society.

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Sample Characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Position in Society

The Observatory of Portuguese Society of CATÓLICA-LISBON performed on October 2016 its first study. This first study focused on the characterization of the Portuguese Society and it aimed to assess and monitor levels of satisfaction with life, happiness, and well-being of the Portuguese Society. A total of 996 participants completed the study. The results are very interesting because despite the crisis period experienced in recent years and political instability occurred during October 2015, a large proportion of participants still indicate to feel happy (72%) and are satisfied with life in general (67%). Most respondents also agree that their lives are close to their ideal (62%). Regarding the emotional state of respondents, a large proportion of participants feel happy most of the time (47%). Concerning well-being, a high percentage of participants feel that what they do in life has value and is worthwhile (65%), they are satisfied with their standard of living (55%), and they feel part of their community (61%).

Nevertheless, future security, the amount of time to do the things they enjoy doing, and the increase of opportunities for people to show their personal value were considered areas with lower levels of satisfaction and well-being.

In conclusion, knowledge extracted from this study may be useful for policy makers, as well as for other parties and stakeholders, towards the promotion of future national programs or actions more appropriated to the present context of members of the Portuguese society, which may lead to better medium and long-term results. This is a contribution from CATÓLICA-LISBON to the Portuguese Society.

Unfortunately, the studies are only available in Portuguese. Please contact us in case you need some more detailed information (E-mail: osp.cea@ucp.pt e Tel.: (+351) 217 214 122).

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Aggregated Report

Sample Characterization

General Indicators: Happiness and Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Satisfaction with Life

Specific Indicators: Position in Society

Specific Indicators: Emotions and Feelings

Specific Indicators: Well-being