Vulnerability and partnership dynamics in the Baltic Sea region: Similarities and differences within and between Eastern European and Nordic countries

Economic uncertainty and shifting family patterns have reshaped everyday life in recent decades. This project explores the interplay between partnership statuses, vulnerability, and well-being in Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries in the 21st century. Focusing on individuals from their late twenties to their late fifties, the study relies on large-scale international surveys (GGS and EU-SILC) to analyse both economic and subjective well-being across regions. The findings aim to inform evidence-based policies and contribute to theoretical advances that improve our understanding of vulnerability in these processes.

In recent decades, economic crises, the pandemic and geopolitical tensions have created increased uncertainty in societies, which can affect individuals’ material and subjective well-being. At the same time, family patterns have changed dramatically. This project examines how family life, vulnerability – i.e. how sensitive people are to life's challenges – and well-being interact in Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries during the 21st century. We focus on the period of life when most people have completed their education and established themselves in the labour market, that is, from their late twenties to ages of late fifties, which is a few years before retirement when well-being is influenced by specific factors.

The project is based on large-scale international surveys - Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS) and European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) - collected in the 2000s and provide a broad picture of people's living conditions. We analyse data from the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Nordic countries to highlight similarities and differences within and across these regions so that we can better understand what factors matter for individuals’ well-being. We examine both the economic side of well-being and how people themselves experience their well-being. At the same time, we highlight vulnerability as an important dimension for how different forms of relationships affect well-being.

The project includes five sub-projects. Two of the sub-projects investigate the association between various partnership statuses (including living alone or living-apart-together) and well-being, where vulnerability is also taken into account. Particular emphasis is placed on how regional differences have developed from the beginning of the 2000s to the 2020s. In the other three sub-projects we analyse longitudinal data to follow changes in partnership status and their impact on well-being, while specifically considering vulnerability. In all sub-projects, we also study whether the mechanisms we identify differ between women and men, as well as between people born in and outside Europe.

The results will increase our understanding of what contributes to individuals’ well-being. This new knowledge can contribute to the development of new policies and methods based on scientific evidence, and in turn promote sustainable societal development. The project also contributes to the development of new theoretical perspectives and concepts that help us better understand vulnerability as part of the processes that the project focuses on