Inflation is currently the main concern of Romanians, according to a survey carried out by AHA Moments and Rethink Romania, a think tank established by a group of entrepreneurs.

The respondents adopt a cautious behavior to overcome this period and choose to consume less, while searching for promotions and opting for cheaper brands, from goods to fuel and utilities. At the same time, they think that their life quality decreased over the past eight months, with the most impacted being the over 55 and average or low-income earners, the survey found.

The concerns related to inflation are less visible in the case of the high-income earners (the top 20% of the population by revenues, those generating 43% of the yearly revenues), the survey found.

The increase in the prices of services, consumer goods, and fuels is followed by a concern with the personal and the family health (40%) on the list of top concerns in April, the survey shows. The economic consequences of the war in Ukraine on Romania (37%), the economic evolution of the country (36%), and the possibility of Romania's involvement in a war (33%) come next. The job stability/ safety (18%), the political context of the country (16%), and the Covid-19 pandemic (9%) are also on the list.

When it comes to the country's attractiveness, the survey found that, compared to the end of 2021, the population is more pessimistic and has somewhat lost trust in Romania's potential. The recent events, such as inflation, the war, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, left their mark on the respondents' state of mind, the survey's authors explain.

The percentage of those who are sure they will not emigrate in the coming period dropped from 54% in September 2021 to 47% in April 2022. The younger the public, the higher the predisposition for emigrating, the survey found. Among those aged 18 to 24, 14% said they likely/definitely want to emigrate, according to the 2022 results.

The survey was carried out among respondents aged 18 to 55, in both rural and urban regions, who were internet users. It was carried out in an online panel, among 900 respondents, in April 2022, compared to a similar survey in September 2022 among 1,000 respondents. 

The results of the survey are available here.

Rethink Romania gathers entrepreneurs and professionals such as Andy Szekely (Bootcamp University), Avi Cicirean (BrandMinds), Bogdan Rădulescu (Untold Festival), Cristina Chiriac (The National Confederation for Women Entrepreneurs), Cristina Gheorghe (Personal Development Institute), Călin Ile (The Federation of the Hotel Industry in Romania), Daniela Nemoianu (Nemoianu Consulting), Dorin Bodea (Result Development), Dragoş Petrescu (City Grill), Elena Lotrean (Finnish School of Sibiu), Florin Jianu (CNIPMMR), Felix Tătaru (GMP Group), Felix Pătrăşcanu (FAN Courier), Marius Ghenea (Catalyst Romania), Ovidiu Şandor (Mulberry Development), Simona Baciu (Transylvania College), Virgil Stănescu (SportsHub), George Leca (The Association for Values in Education), Dragoş Anastasiu (Eurolines Group and president of Rethink Romania) and more. 

The founders of the initiative believe Romania hasn't reached its full potential over the past 30 years, and they plan to change this model.

(Photo: Stokkete/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com