More than a half of Romanians, namely 52 percent, believe that an income of RON 2,000 (nearly EUR 450) is the minimum necessary for a single person to have a decent living, according to an opinion poll conducted by the IRES. The research institute conducted the multistage sample survey on 1,131 individuals over 18 years old, representative for Romania’s population, during December 19 – 20. 26 percent said this amount would be RON 1,000, 10 percent – RON 3,000, 5 percent – RON 4,000, and 2 percent – more than RON 4,000. Also 2 percent of respondents said they could live decently with RON 500 each month.
Only one in 100 Romanians says they have enough money for all they want.
39 percent say their income is barely sufficient to make ends meet, 14 percent say they afford living well, while 16 percent say they cannot cover their bare necessities.
According to the survey, most of the respondents place themselves in the middle of a 1 to 10 scale between poor and rich, with an average of 4.83. The proportion of those nearer to 1 (poorest) is 9 percent, significantly greater than the 1 percent who place themselves at the top of the scale (10, or richest).
Also, the study shows that less than a quarter of them – 23 percent – have made savings in 2014. Over 40 percent of respondents have unpaid debts and more than half of Romanians anticipate they will have to make financial sacrifices. However, 38 percent of them are optimistic, considering that in 2015, will be able to do so.
At the same time, only 29 percent of respondents have made a significant acquisitions for the family or household, the most frequently mentioned investments are: buying a car – 19 percent, house renovating – 16 percent, purchasing domestic appliances – 15 percent.