Healthy homes Barometer

In which European country do people feel healthiest? Do Europeans think of their homes as a key to health? And do they know what steps to take in the home to boost health? These questions and many more find their answers in the Healthy Homes Barometer – a pan European study carried out by the VELUX Group.

Last year’s 2015 Healthy Homes Barometer revealed that people perceive their homes as a key driver of health – that a healthy life, in fact, starts at home. The survey included feedback from 12,000 respondents in 12 countries, and the majority assesses the home to be of higher importance to health than eating fruit and vegetables, avoiding tobacco, or doing regular exercise.

The 2016 Healthy Homes Barometer has an even broader scope, with 14,000 Europeans in 14 countries delivering their views. Five key characteristics of a healthy home are identified:

Good sleeping conditions
Comfortable indoor temperatures
Fresh air
Satisfactory levels of daylight
Appropriate levels of humidity

All Europeans have a say when it comes to creating a sustainable living environment through everyday decision-making and habits. With this year’s Healthy Homes Barometer we reveal the true expectations and behavioural patterns of Europeans in their homes

Other key 2016 findings are:

A healthy Europe requires healthy homes
Home wellbeing and energy saving are what drives renovation
A healthy home is a happy home
Europeans tend to overlook the importance of daylight
Authorities, industry and private individuals need to work together to make healthier homes a reality

Commissioned by the VELUX Group, the Healthy Homes Barometer 2016 was conducted across 14 European countries by the research institute Wilke A/S and with guidance by Professor Bernd Wegener, Humboldt University, Berlin.

“The Healthy Homes Barometer is a unique endeavour. It is the first ever attempt to explore residents’ health and wellbeing in Europe. It also aims at recording what, if anything, people do to improve the health conditions in their homes or what keeps them from acting correspondingly.”

The survey monitors trends and reveals new perspectives on healthy and energy efficient buildings.

HEALTHY HOME BAROMETER 2016 >>