Radio România Internațional

Tag: Avangarde

  • Main concerns of Romanians

    Main concerns of Romanians

    Two thirds of Romanians believe that a large-scale economic crisis will occur in the next period, and this is the main reason for their concern in this period, according to the results of a survey conducted by the sociological research company Avangarde in the last days of this month. Only 3% of Romanians believe that the Romania will not face an economic crisis. According to the survey, the main causes of concern for Romanians are the inflation, the energy crisis caused by Russia, the food crisis and, to a lesser extent, the increase in loan interest rates. As for inflation, half of those surveyed said they were concerned about its increase.



    The survey shows that two thirds of Romanians have decided to give up several things to cope with the wave of price hikes. Almost one Romanian out of two says that he or she bought less food and 14% of those interviewed say that they have given up buying clothes. However, there is also an important percentage of respondents who say that they have not reduced consumption (about 20%) and 10% could not answer. After inflation, Romanians are worried about the energy crisis and the food crisis.



    Many people with natural gas heating systems say they are considering investing in alternative sources, as they fear higher bills. In the case of energy, most Romanians have already invested or will invest in equipment to help them reduce consumption. In general, as regards the energy crisis, almost 4 out of 10 Romanians believe that Russia will put Europe in difficulty this winter and will completely stop supplying gas to Europe.



    Many Romanians are optimistic, though, and believe that the EU leaders will find solutions to overcome the energy crisis caused by a possible complete stop on gas deliveries. One third of respondents say, however, that they cannot estimate who will win this game. At the same time, 39% are convinced that Romania’s natural resources will help it avoid an energy crisis this winter. A quarter of the respondents are not convinced of this.



    On the other hand, the survey also shows that only 1 Romanian out of 10 is worried about the increase in loan interest rates. Regarding personal finances, more than a third of Romanians say that they have not saved money, and another third say that they have saved less than in 2021. Far fewer Romanians say that they are saving as much as in 2021 or that they are saving more money as compared to the previous year. The survey also shows that a third of Romanians expect property prices to rise, an almost equal percentage expect property prices to remain the same, and far fewer Romanians believe that property prices will decrease. The Avangarde survey was conducted between August 24 and 30, on a sample of 880 people, interviewed by phone. (LS)

  • Recommendations before Christmas

    Recommendations before Christmas

    There is little time left until Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so Bucharest authorities have urged the population to strictly observe the anti-Covid-19 measures in place, to make sure the spread of the coronavirus does not surge after the holidays. In an interview, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, has stated that people should not welcome visitors during the holidays, not even family members that do not normally live with them. If, however, this cannot be avoided, everybody should wear a protective mask, except, of course, for the time when people are eating. When this happens, the safe distance must be observed, and the room should be well aired, even if it’s cold outside.

    If the measures are not observed, Arafat has stressed, the number of infections will rise after the holidays, which in turn will mean a larger number of people needing hospitalisation and intensive care. As regards the new variant of Sars-Cov-2, Raed Arafat has stated that it does not make the illness more severe, it just spreads faster and therefore can lead to a larger number of infected people, translating into a more severe impact on the health-care system.

    In the meantime, before the first doses of vaccine arrive, antigen rapid tests are being distributed across the country. Most Romanians are worried (47%) or extremely worried (17%) about the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, they do not seem extremely eager to get vaccinated. Only 30% say that they will get the jab next year, during the national campaign which, in the first stage, will target the staff in the hospitals where Covid-19 patients are being treated. 29% of the Romanians refuse vaccination, 29% are undecided and 10% cannot say anything about that.

    According to a survey conducted by Avangarde over December 10-20, on a sample of 900 respondents, with a margin of error of 3.2%, 51 out of 100 interviewed people say that politicians and the state institutions are to blame for the large number of Covid-19 cases. 70% of the respondents would not agree with a general lockdown, and only 16% would approve it. Also, 72% of the respondents believe that churches should not be closed at Christmas, as it happened in spring, for the Easter holidays. (M. Ignatescu)