How are personal relationships rated in the EU?

In 2022, people in the EU indicated a high level of satisfaction with their personal relationships. On a scale from 0 (not at all satisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied), they rated their satisfaction with personal relationships on average at 7.8, indicating a very slight decrease from the 7.9 in 2018.

This news item marks the International Day of Friendship, celebrated each year on the 30th of July.

Source dataset: ilc_pw02b

Among the EU members, Malta, Austria and Slovenia recorded the highest rate of satisfaction with personal relationships, all at 8.6.

At the lower end of the scale, Bulgaria reported the lowest satisfaction rate with personal relationships, with an average rate of 6.0, followed by Croatia (7.2) and Greece (7.3).

Younger people more content with their personal relationships

Source dataset: ilc_pw01b, ilc_pw01b, ilc_pw02b

Overall, women reported a slightly higher satisfaction rate (average of 7.9) with their personal relationships compared with men (7.8).

Across age categories, young people aged 16-24 years showed the highest satisfaction with personal relationships, rating it at 8.1. This was closely followed by those aged 25-34, with a satisfaction rate of 8.0. The lowest satisfaction rate was observed among those aged 50-64 years (7.7).

Households with dependent children reported the highest levels of satisfaction with personal relationships, rating it at 7.7. Two-adult households followed closely with a satisfaction rate of 7.6, while the one-adult households recorded the lowest satisfaction rate with personal relationships, at 7.4.