Mapping Portugal’s Unmet Social Needs

Needs in Portugal – Tradition and Emerging Tendencies was inspired by the British study Mapping Britain’s Unmet Needs carried out by the Young Foundation in 2006. Its aim is to identify the unmet social needs of mainland Portugal’s population, paying particular attention to trends that have emerged as a result of recent changes in Portuguese society that hinder optimisation of individual and collective opportunities in the country. Conducted by the TESE association for development and scientifically coordinated by the Territorial Studies Centre at ISCTE, the study is funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation.

The study’s methodology is based on three steps: a questionnaire-based survey, the creation of a database and case studies. The results of the survey were published in June 2009. A total of 1237 persons were interviewed (margin of error 2.9% and reliability interval of 95%) on questions of work and employment, standard of living and income management, housing, the local environment, mobility, education, support networks, well-being and health.

The study conclusions will be presented on 28 June 2010 at a press conference in Auditorium 3 at the Gulbenkian Foundation and subsequently published in book form.

Scientific consultants to the project are the Young Foundation and the University of Lisbon’s Institute of Social Sciences.