Standard of residency in Poland and selected European countries: Comparative analysis

Objective: The aim of the paper is to present the standard of residency in the European Union countries, in particular against the background of the housing policy implemented in selected EU countries. Research Design & Methods: Linear ordering and hierarchical clustering were used for statistical comparative analysis of studied countries. The data on the surroundings of the home and the financial capacity of respondents to maintain the home are taken into account. The data were taken from EQLS (European Quality of Life Survey) – the 4th-edition survey was held in 2016 and 2017. Findings: The article shows significant differences in the standard of residency among European countries. In separate areas for assessing the housing situation, no country ranked first in all areas at the same time. In some cases, the position of a given country (e.g. Finland) is fundamentally different due to the considered area of standard of residency assessment. In terms of a multidimensional assessment of this standard, Poland is generally better rated than using commonly used housing situation indicators (e.g. the number of rooms per person). Contribution & Value Added: An added value is the proposal to measure the housing situation of the population not only on the basis of measuring one or two indicators, but in a multidimensional approach with separate areas of assessment. This allows for a broader and deeper look at the problem of satisfying one of the basic human needs of living.