A recent study carried out for Upriserz, the online education platform dedicated to entrepreneurs and professionals in the labor market, revealed that Romanians spend an average of EUR 23 per month on education. At the same time, more than half of respondents believe that learning takes place throughout life.

Almost 7 out of 10 Romanians spend no more than EUR 25 per month on education, and 7% of respondents prefer to use free learning resources, the Upriserz study found. At the opposite end, less than 1 in 10 Romanians spend large budgets of between EUR 75 and EUR 167 per month.

The same source said that a Romanian dedicates approximately 4.5 hours per week, on average, to activities dedicated to learning, such as reading, attending various courses, events or webinars, podcasts or informing about different topics of interest. Young people (more than 7 hours per week) and seniors (almost 6 hours per week) allocate the most time to learning, the latter having more free time. Meanwhile, people active in the labor market spend about 4 hours a week learning.

At the same time, more than half (52%) of respondents believe that learning takes place throughout life, while one in three (33%) believe that learning takes place early in life, in childhood or adolescence.

The perception of learning changes with age. Thus, Generation Z (ages 21-25) are more inclined to believe that learning is best in childhood and young age, while Generation X and Baby Boomers tend to say that learning is lifelong. Furthermore, Millennials and Gen X devote about 4 hours per week to learning, on average, being the least willing to allocate time to this activity.

Almost all study participants had done at least one learning activity in the past year. On average, a person uses 2.6 resources or means to develop personally and professionally. Most of them read specialized articles and books or watch podcasts on various topics of interest.

The study also found that the net effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a rather positive one on learning habits, with almost 3 in 10 people saying they have allocated more time to personal and professional development during this period.

"We are happy to see that Romanians' interest in continuing education is growing. It is important to maintain the upward trend in this chapter, as Romania ranks last in European statistics regarding the continuation of the learning process after graduating from an educational institution," said Lorand Soares-Szasz, CEO Upriserz.

"Online education platforms have succeeded in meeting the needs of those interested in improving themselves, accumulating knowledge in various fields, or needing support in career guidance. This year, we have set out to continue producing over 25 new courses, over 20 hands-on webinars, over 50 interviews and over 50 book summaries, maintaining our leadership position in this segment as well," he added.

MKOR conducted the study for Upriserz on a sample of 1,066 respondents aged between 21 and 65 from urban and rural areas.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Dreamstime.com)