Personal and financial situation of citizens
Author | Maillard, Robin; Zalc, Julien |
Pages | 13-32 |
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PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL SITUATION OF CITIZENS
The rst section of the report examines the impact of the pandemic crisis on the personal situation of EU citi-
zens. Specically, it assesses general attitudes towards restriction measures that have been introduced, and then
examines the impact of the pandemic on respondents’ personal income and the type of nancial and economic
diculties that they have experienced. It also examines the current emotional status of respondents.
Arbitration health vs. economy
Respondents were asked to position themselves on a scale between two statements regarding the consequences
of the restriction measures in their country. “1” means that the health benets are greater than the economic
damage, and “6” that the economic damage is greater than the health benets, the remaining numbers indicating
something in between these two positions.
Overall, around half of respondents (49%) say that the economic damage of restriction measures in their country
is greater than the health benets (score of between 4 and 6). This compares with 45% of respondents who feel
that the health benets are greater than the economic damage (score between 1 and 3). This a change from the
previous waves of the survey. For the rst time, respondents are more likely to think that the economic damage is
greater than the health benets (+6 pp compared with wave 2), rather than that the health benets outweigh the
economic damage (-7 pp).
CHAPTER I
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The ndings for this question were broadly stable between wave 1 (April/May) and wave 2 (June), but there has
been a notable change at wave 3 (September/October). The majority view is now that the economic damage of
the restriction measures is greater than the health benets.
There is considerable variation between countries in public opinion about restriction measures. At one extreme,
around two-thirds of respondents in Bulgaria (69%), Hungary (67%), Slovenia (66%), Czechia (64%) and Poland
(63%) feel that the economic damage is greater than the health benets (giving a score of between 4 and 6). By
contrast, in six countries more than half of respondents think that the health benets are greater than the eco-
nomic damage (score of between 1 and 3): Malta (70%), Romania (59%), Ireland (58%), France (57%), Luxembourg
(54%) and Finland (51%).
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