Reinforcing resilience in an inter-connected world : lifestyle changes in relation with science and innovation.
Date: 2015-10-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Subjects: behavioural sciences, consumer society, innovation, new technology, research and development, social behaviour, social participation

Reinforcing Resilience in an 
Inter-connected World: 
Lifestyle Changes in Relation 
with Science and Innovation  

 Policy Brief by the Research, Innovation, and Science 
Policy Experts (RISE)

Anne Stenros and Riikka Heikinheimo 
March – 2015 

EUR 27392 EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Research and Innovation 
Directorate A – Policy Development and coordination 
Unit A6 – Science Policy, foresight and data 

Contact: Katarzyna Bitka, Emanuele Barbarossa 

E-mail:  katarzyna.bitka@ec.europa.eu  

emanuele.barbarossa@ec.europa.eu 

RTD-RISE@ec.europa.eu 

RTD-PUBLICATIONS@ec.europa.eu 

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Reinforcing Resilience in an 
Inter-connected World: 
Lifestyle Changes in Relation 
with Science and Innovation  

Policy Brief by the Research, Innovation, and 
Science Policy Experts (RISE)  

Anne Stenros and Riikka Heikinheimo 

Members of RISE 

2015 

Research, Innovation, and Science Policy Experts High Level Group  EUR 27392 EN 

Directorate-General for Research and Innovation 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu). 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015. 

ISBN  

978-92-79-50357-3 

doi:  

10.2777/609934 

ISSN  

1831-9424 

© European Union, 2015. 
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION – EMERGING LIFESTYLES ................................................................ 4 

2.  DRIVERS OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND LIFESTYLE TRENDS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES ....... 4 

3. 

REINFORCING A RESILIENT ECONOMY AND R&I SYSTEM ............................................ 5 

a) 
b) 

Emergence of the Freelancing Economy ........................................................... 5 
New Forms of Conducting Research and Creating Innovation .............................. 5 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION – EMERGING LIFESTYLES 

Looking at changes in future generations (Gen Y, Gen Z) lifestyles some significant  trends can be 
identified  which  will  have  a  major  impact  on  all  societal  spheres  from  education  to  work,  from 
public to private life. Four key lifestyle trends are  shaping values, attitudes and behaviour across 
Europe and the United States by 20201:  

First, we are going to live in an increasingly digitalised and  interconnected world  with powerful 
digital systems providing an invisible infrastructure for future societies. Despite or even because of 
this invisible character people expect that these systems are not operated top-down and optimized 
only  for  efficiency  and  profit.  Instead,  they  should  be  inclusive  and  participatory,  promote 
innovation and well-being, and respond to the needs and wants of all citizens. 

Second,  a  shift  from  a  consumer  society  to  a  producer  society  is  taking  place,  following  open 
source ideals and practices in every level of the society. This socio-economic system promotes the 
shared  creation,  production,  distribution,  trade  and  consumption  of  goods,  services,  governance 
and education.  

Third,  in  an  increasingly  complex  and  unpredictable  world  characterized  by  rapid  change,  people 
are  turning  to  the  principles  of  resilience.  Adaptability,  modularity,  diversity,  redundancy,  and 
social  capital  are  becoming  key  principles  to  help  vulnerable  individuals,  organisations, 
communities, cities, and societies persist and thrive amid unforeseeable disruptions. 

Forth,  while  the  meaning  of  traditional  religious  and  societal  institutions  declines,  the  quest  for 
purpose remains central in people’s lives. Science and technology provide a vehicle for hope and 
societal  as  well  as  political  activism  is  moving  to  new  forms  outside  the  traditional  democratic 
channels.  

As is obvious from the major lifestyle trends described above, it is not only research and innovation 
but  many  other  governance  areas  that  ought  to  be  considered  when  searching  for  solutions  to 
meet the challenges connected to these trends. Hence, this policy brief addresses not only DG RTD 
but also an audience that is beyond a single directorate general. 

DRIVERS OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND LIFESTYLE TRENDS AND 
THEIR CONSEQUENCES 

The drivers that will have an impact on European lifestyles in the future are dependent on current 
megatrends  and  their  challenges,  namely  urbanization,  demographic  change,  climate  change, 
security, digitalization, and the new generations of the Gen Y and the Gen Z, among others.  

These trends are not independent from each other, but inter-connected, and cities are the locations 
where  the  interferences  between  them  are  strongest.    Most  of  the  future  societal  changes  and 
physical, social and economic challenges will happen in the context of the urban environment. By 
2025 there will be over 30 mega cities in the world and most of the population growth will happen 
in  the  urban  context.  While  in  Europe  nowadays  78%  of  the  people  are  already  living  in  urban 
areas, mega cities will rule the lifestyles and human challenges of the future.  

Due to demographic change and other factors, the number of people living in single households is 
also  growing.    Today,  a  large  number  of  Europeans  is  single  and  the  trend  is  rising.  The 
accompanying change  in lifestyles, i.e. solo  living and household atomization, has already started 
to  affect  the  economy  as  well  as  requirements  for  urban  and  rural  planning  and  infrastructure, 
welfare society and policies. 

When empowered communities and peer-to-peer networks as described in the lifestyle trends are 
becoming  the  basic  structure  of  societies,  this  has  implications  for  education  and  work  as  major 
spheres of life that societies are based upon. In the changing education systems, inequities based 
on  knowledge  and  skills  might  decrease  thanks  to  new  modes  of  (digital)  learning.  At  the  same 
time, there is a considerable risk that the benefits of expanded access to education are not shared 
equitably. This would lead to a widening gap between educational “haves” and “have-nots”.  

Further, the extended life expectancy requires an environment integrating the older work force into 
the labour market in flexible ways, securing knowledge transfer between generations. It is said that 

1 Ville Tikka: Future Trends of Lifestyles in Europe and US. Wevolve, 2013. 

4 

 
                                                 
in  the  Post-generation  Society,  there  could  be  four  to  five  generations  working  shoulder  to 
shoulder.  In  Europe,  the  50-80  years  old  will  be  the  biggest  age  group  in  the  future,  demanding 
the  consideration  of  second  careers  and  the  impact  of  the  silver  economy.  With  women  having  a 
higher life expectancy than men, educational and economic disparities among the sexes at an early 
stage of life will be carried on to older age groups. There is a shift in economic participation with a 
growing  female  labour  force  and  female  buying  power  giving  voice  and  authority  to  women. 
Nevertheless,  equal  participation  of  women  in  economy  as  well  as  in  science,  innovation  and 
technology  is  still  far  away  and  still  needs  to  be  a  priority  for  governments.  All  this  calls  for 
increasing people’s awareness of the relevance of education and lifelong learning, fostering curious, 
innovative and adaptable mind-sets throughout all generations and both sexes.  

REINFORCING A RESILIENT ECONOMY AND R&I SYSTEM 

After looking at some underlying drivers of the lifestyles changes, we now look at their implications 
for R&I and develop recommendations of how to best deal with two main implications. 

As  is  described  in  the  third  lifestyle  trend,  the  core  principle  that  people  will  orient  towards  is 
resilience.  Resilience  is  the  capacity  to  adapt  to  constant  change  and  to  be  tolerant  against 
disruptions, and the ability to change and cope with crises und use them for further development. 
In  the  future,  this  is  needed  as  a  basic  skill  and  strategy  at  individual,  organisational  or 
institutional,  community,  city,  and  societal  level.  In  order  to  reinforce  resilience  in  Europe’s 
economy  and  R&I  systems,  we  suggest  taking  into  account  the  following  recommendations 
regarding  a)  the  growing  freelancing  economy  and  b)  the  new  forms  of  conducting  research  and 
creating innovation.  

a)  Emergence of the Freelancing Economy 

Work in the western world is undergoing a radical revolution and re-shaping our understanding of 
the human labour force. Short-term assignments, project-based work, freelancing and doing many 
jobs at the same time is not a contemporary situation but a new standard. Vanishing borders and 
the borderless world is increasing the global workforce mobility and talent flow. In the coming 10 
years  companies  will  face  a  war  of  talents  in  the  western  world,  which  will  even  increase  in  the 
following  decades  due  to  demographic  developments.  This  will  put  additional  pressure  on 
governments to enable international mobility of work forces. As can already be observed, research 
and innovation communities will be especially affected. 

  Recommendation:  Reduce hurdles for  work force  mobility in  Europe, especially in the research 

and innovation sectors. 

Creating resilience at personal level requires constantly acquiring and adjusting a personalized set 
of  skills  throughout  life.  For  people  working  in  the  freelancing  economy,  these  skills  will  be  of 
paramount importance.  

  Recommendation:  Emphasize 

the  growing 

importance  of 

self-management 

skills, 

entrepreneurial skills, and highly personalized education (i.e. a personal set of skills). 

People are engaging in proactive and preventative lifestyles in order to develop personal resilience 
and  maintain  their  livelihoods  and  wellbeing.  Among  others,  this  will  increase  the  number  of 
sharing communities and  new support systems. The  sharing  economy, which  goes along with the 
freelancing  economy,  has  already  proved  its  potency  across  a  variety  of  sectors,  including 
hospitality,  transportation,  food  and  education,  as  digital  platforms  make  it  possible  to  share 
personal resources. In addition, a new wave of entrepreneurs and businesses is changing the way 
we  think  of  the  business  of  tomorrow.  The  new  ‘value  creative’  companies  are  creating  scalable 
solutions that add value for people, business, society and the planet. 

  Recommendation:  Create  conditions  that  foster  the  sharing  economy  and  reinforce  the 

development of innovative value creating and purposeful businesses.  

b)  New Forms of Conducting Research and Creating Innovation 

Research and innovation are means that can further develop resilient societies and support socially 
acceptable transformations of societal spheres (e.g. regarding new societal and political activism). 
If research and innovation ought to be a mechanism for reducing insecurity in an increasingly fast 
changing  world,  the  European  research  and  innovation  systems  need  to  be  highly  flexible  and 
provide diverse forms of R&I activities to be able to respond quickly to changing societal demands. 
Apart  from  technological  aspects  affecting  R&I,  like  the  digitalization  trend  (e.g.  the  Internet  of 
things,  ‘big  data’),  research  systems  are  highly  dependent  on  the  people  conducting  research. 
Hence, research communities need to change accordingly in order to meet these requirements. The 

5 

 
lifestyle  trends  will  also  affect  researchers  working  in  public  research  systems,  while  the  systems 
they are working in tend to be rather slowly in adapting to change.  

  Recommendation:  Enable  researchers  to  integrate  the  benefits  from  trends  in  digitalization, 
interconnection,  mobility  and  freelancing  as  well  as  sharing  economy  in  the  public  research 
systems. 

One  important  factor  for  creating  innovation  is  the  involvement  of  citizens.  When  traditional 
institutions  seem  partly  incapable  of  solving  the  ubiquitous  and  complex  problems,  individual 
citizens and innovators will become active contributors. The 21st century meaningful citizen action 
is powered by digital tools and global communities. 

  Recommendation:  Increase  the  role  of  citizen  participation  and  bottom-up  approach  in  the 

innovation ecosystem, especially in the case of social innovations. 

In  order  to  attain  the  level  of  excellence  in  understanding  these  complex  and  inter-connected 
issues  related  to  the  future  lifestyle  trends  and  their  implications,  more  opportunities  need  to  be 
created  where  the  technologies  meet  art    and  humanities,  e.g.  in  so  called  culture  laboratories. 
People from different disciplines but also from different professions should be collaborating and co-
creating  studies,  programmes,  and  research  for  the  better  integration  of  future  technologies  and 
human challenges. 

  Recommendation:  Foster  a  network  of  existing  and  newly  emerging  thematic  ‘Culture 

Laboratories’ throughout Europe. 

6 

 
 
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The Policy Brief looks at implications of the changes in future generations' lifestyles on all societal 
spheres  from  education  to  work,  from  public  to  private  life.  Four  key  lifestyle  trends  are  shaping 
values,  attitudes  and  behaviour  across  Europe  and  the  United  States  by  2020:  increasing 
digitalisation  and  interconnectedness,  a  shift  from  a  consumer  society  to  a  producer  society, 
increase  in  complexity  and  pace  of  change,  bringing  about  the  principles  of  resilience,  and  the 
quest for purpose, which is to remain central in people’s lives. To reinforce the resilient economy 
and  R&I  system,  the  authors  propose  the  development  of  measures  which  can  stimulate  the 
emergence of the freelancing economy and of the new forms of conducting research and creating 
innovation. 

Studies and reports 

ISBN 978-92-79-50357-3