Identification of fundamental needs (proportion of households that indicated that specific goods and services were not within their means, EU-SILC survey 2006)
| Type of needs | France (%) | Italy (%) | Portugal (%) | Spain (%) | England-Wales* (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eating a meal containing meat, fish or the vegetarian equivalent once every 2 days | 6.7 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4 | 5 |
| Taking a week's annual holiday away from home | 32.5 | 38.7 | 60.5† | 38.3 | 22.7 |
| Using your own means to cover a necessary yet unplanned expense | 34.1 | 28.4 | 18.2 | 31.2 | 28.8 |
| Keeping your house adequately warm | 6.7 | 10.4 | 41.6 | 9.3 | 4.9 |
| Having a phone (including mobile phone) | 0.9 | 1.5 | 5.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Having a colour TV | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Having a computer | 8.3 | ‡ | ‡ | 9 | 5.7 |
| Having a washing machine | 1.4 | 0.8 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Having a personal car | 4.6 | 3.8 | 11.6 | 4.8 | 5.3 |
*England and Wales could not be distinguished for these data.
†Since >50% of Portugal's population cannot afford ‘to take a week's annual holiday away from home’, this item is not considered a fundamental need.
‡Since <50% of the households have a computer, this item is not considered a fundamental need.
EU-SILC, European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions.