Social policies research

Daphne Ahrendt

Senior research manager

Daphne Ahrendt is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. She is the coordinator of the survey management and development activity. In 2020, she initiated Eurofound’s Living and Working in the EU e-survey and now leads the 2026 European Quality of Life Survey, which she has worked on since the survey started in 2003. With over 30 years of experience in international survey research, she is also a member of the GESIS Scientific Advisory Board. Beyond surveys, her substantive research focuses on social cohesion, trust and the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Daphne started her career at the National Centre for Social Research in London where she worked on the International Social Survey Programme before moving to the Eurobarometer Unit at the European Commission. She holds a Master's degree in Criminal Justice Policies from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University.

Topics of expertise

Daphne is an expert in the following topics.

Man in protective suit disinfecting warehouse

COVID-19

Disability and chronic disease

Trust

Working poor

Quality of society

Research outputs

Daphne is the author of the following publications.

Include forthcoming

Events, podcast and blog

Daphne has contributed the following events, blog posts and podcast episodes.

In-person event

Joint event

Life & work in focus: Evidence from the Western Balkans

DateFriday, 15 May 2026

LocationScience Technological Park, Podgorica, Montenegro

This event is in the past

See details

11 July 2022

Podcast episode

Living in a new era of uncertainty

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may have passed, but in households across Europe its effects linger longer. Add today’s cost of living crisis, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine to the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 and a distressing picture emerges: of mental health issues – especially among young people – of job loss and job insecurity, and of persistent uncertainty about the future. In this episode of Eurofound Talks, we speak with Daphne Ahrendt, expert on Eurofound’s unique Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, on these very issues. As Daphne explains, the latest round of the survey reveals many insights that could help policymakers respond to the extraordinary circumstances of day-to-day living and working in Europe.

Female manager analyzing business graphs on laptop and discussing data with professional colleagues in meeting

17 August 2020

Blog post

How to use the surge in teleworking as a real chance to include people with disabilities

COVID-19 unleashed the pent-up potential for telework. Over a third of respondents to Eurofound’s online survey of Europeans in April had started teleworking because of the pandemic. Never before had so many people been working from home. For people with disabilities, telework has long been viewed as the ideal solution to removing many of the barriers to their participation in the open labour market. But it has not lived up to its promise and people with disabilities remain strongly disadvantaged when it comes to employment. Does the current embrace of telework by employers offer a second chance?

13 October 2017

Blog post

More attention must be given to Europe’s working poor

In-work poverty increased during the economic and financial crisis that hit European shores in 2008. By 2014, ten per cent of European workers were at risk of poverty, up from eight per cent in 2007. Ten per cent is a significant figure: the working poor represent a substantial group that can’t be ignored. Just as disconcerting is the finding that 13 per cent of European workers are materially deprived. This latter measure helps to capture the impact of the crisis on people’s real living conditions.

3 February 2016

Blog post

The case for universal support for European families

Austerity measures introduced during the crisis have disproportionately concerned cuts in the measures that are most vital for reducing child poverty: cash and tax benefits, a new Eurofound report shows. Furthermore, there has been a move away from universal coverage towards more targeted support. Of course, it makes good sense for governments to target spending on the most deprived families in a period of austerity. But at some point the pendulum can swing the wrong way and families that, under the principle of universality, were eligible for support may lose out, putting more families at risk of poverty than before.

Other unit members: Social policies research

Find more staff members of this unit below.

Marianna Baggio

Research officer

Javier Bernier

Administrative assistant

Michele Consolini

Research officer

Hans Dubois

Senior research manager

Karel Fric

Research officer

Ana Guevara

Research trainee

Marie Hyland

Research officer

Hannah Kollen

Research trainee

Kalliopi Koultouki

Administrative assistant

Massimiliano Mascherini

Head of Unit

Daniel Molinuevo

Senior research manager

Alberto Naretto

Temporary research support officer - Data sharing platform

Sanna Nivakoski

Research officer

Ilaria Pantaleo

Claudia Peroni

Temporary research support officer

Eleonora Peruffo

Research officer

Alessia Pierno

Research trainee

Ilaria Pompilio

Research trainee

Noa Prins

Research trainee

Jeremy Ryan

Temporary administrative assistant

Eszter Sándor

Senior research manager

Donna Straver

Research trainee