Between March and October 2025, the ReCiv research team surveyed 600 civil society organisations, business and professional associations, trade unions and politically active firms across Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and those operating on the EU level. The findings of the survey are summarised in this report and shed valuable insights on how European interest groups navigate crisis, turbulence and different forms of uncertainty.
We found that:
70% of respondents report being affected by at least one major disruption in the past two years, and 55% are dealing with more than one at once. The cost-of-living crisis (61%) and political instability (41%) hit the widest share of organisations.
Despite this pressure, most organisations remain operationally resilient – staffing, income and membership have stayed stable or even grown on average over the last two years.
Vulnerability isn't evenly spread. NGOs working in development aid and human rights, alongside businesses in retail and real estate, report the highest sustainability challenges, regardless of which crisis hits them.
The organisations coping best share a pattern: investing in peer networks, forward planning, and staying actively engaged with policymakers, media and the public.