Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected societies. The pandemic has rapidly spread throughout the world, causing illnesses and deaths. Furthermore, it has adversely affected individuals’ economic status, social relationships, psychological situation, and health status. Most global epidemics are known to harm people's quality of life. The standard of living varies by country. Evaluating the quality of life in different countries during the pandemic could be important, especially for taking necessary precautions and proactive measures against future pandemics. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life of Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, and Estonia in comparison with Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make recommendations to policymakers. The results of the “Living, Working and COVID-19 Survey” implemented by Eurofound in European countries at the beginning of the pandemic were compared between Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, and Turkey, and the economic, social, health, and psychological impact of the pandemic on societies was examined. It was found that the countries with the highest happiness mean scores were Latvia and Estonia, the countries with the lowest happiness mean scores were Turkey and Hungary, the countries with the highest mean satisfaction score were Estonia and Latvia, and the countries with the lowest mean satisfaction score were Turkey and Slovakia. It was also determined that the countries with the highest mean score of trust in the healthcare system and government institutions were Estonia and Latvia. The results of the study indicate that the factors affecting the quality of life of people during the pandemic differ between countries and that the countries with a high average of trust in government institutions and health systems also have high average scores of satisfaction and happiness. Policymakers need to have information about the factors affecting the quality of life of society to be prepared for pandemics

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