A survey conducted by the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT shows that 17% of respondents assess their financial situation as bad, and 3% admitted that they do not have enough money even for food.
For a large part of the Lithuanian population, the biggest burden is still housing costs. Kęstutis Kupšys, vice president of the Consumers’ Alliance, pointed out that food prices are too high when compared to what can be afforded with the average salary in the country. He added that sometimes it seems that food industry entrepreneurs have gone to war with their customers.
The survey revealed that 14% of respondents have enough money for food, but do not have enough money left to buy clothes.
Almost half of the respondents, 45%, assessed their family’s financial situation as average. The income is enough to eat and wear clothes, they also manage to save a little, but saving up for larger purchases is a problem. A third of the participants described the financial situation of their household as good, and 31% answered that in addition to everyday expenses they can also make more expensive purchases, but cannot afford to buy an apartment or a summer house.
Only 2% of adults said that they can afford everything they want.
From a demographic point of view, people over 65 years of age, as well as Lithuanians living in rural areas and small towns, and those who have not completed secondary education, assessed their financial situation as bad.
The survey participants were also asked what their biggest financial burden is at the moment, and this was an open-ended question without answer options. The results show that the main problems are utility bills and high food prices. Kaunas University of Technology professor Evaldas Stankevičius pointed out that the risk of energy poverty in Lithuania is still a reality, and utility bills are a critical factor in the budgets of many households. Currently, households spend an average of 30-40% of their income on food and utilities, and households with lower incomes can spend as much as 50-55%. This means that almost half of the country’s population has very little money left to save for unforeseen events.
One in ten adults indicated that their family currently has no financial burden, but almost a fifth of respondents – 19% – did not answer the question.
The survey was conducted on behalf of LRT by the company Baltijos Tyrimai.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2735232/food-prices-a-challenge-for-people-in-lithuania-poll
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