This survey has been developed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which swept across Europe during the first half of 2020. Other than a high cost in terms of human lives, the pandemic had a strong social and economic significance, as it forced individuals to stay home and financial activities to close while further exacerbating a series of social and economic divides within European societies and globally, in particular in the ability to access services and support systems.

 Under the request of the European Commission, Social Economy Europe drafted a questionnaire to understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on social economy enterprises and organisations, the measures these have benefited from, the obstacles they have encountered, and finally their personal needs and recommendations.The objective of the survey was to shed light on the realities of social economy enterprises and organisations, both in their points of strength and weakness, in order to allow for a better understanding of the sector, in its principles, the way it works and its needs both in normal and crisis time.