A third of Romanians hopes the economy to get better this year, while 20 percent of them are pessimistic, 2014 being the best year since the crisis hit. 4 out of 10 says that the general state of the Romanian economy recorded a setback last year compared to 2013.
However, the situation looks better than in December 2013, when nearly 6 of 10 Romanians thought the same thing. Increasingly more Romanians are confident how the next year looks like, the Consumer Confidence Barometer, study co-funded by the European Commission and conducted monthly by GfK Romania, shows.
According to the study, the general indicator measured by the Consumer Confidence Barometer reached an annual average of 28.6. The study also shows that one third of Romanians said in December that their family’s financial situation is worse than 12 months ago, while 16 percent of people believed that it is better. Almost 4 of 10 Romanians, according to the Barometer, believe that prices were higher compared to the previous year, compared to 67 percent who thought the same thing the last month of 2013.
The unemployment outlook was better in 2014 than in previous years. The average of last years’ pessimists stands at 58 percent compared to 66 percent in 2013 and 63 percent in 2012.
Regarding the attitude to savings is relatively constant, as in December 2013, only 20 percent of Romanians considering it is a time to put money aside. 59 percent of them say that their incomes barely manage to cover current expenses.
The percentage of those who say they have debts is in a slight decline, falling to 16 percent compared to 19 percent in December 2013 and 2012. The data are representative of Romania’s population aged 15 and over, the sample being of 1,000 people.