Half Of Romanians Most Troubled By Rising Prices, Inflation - Study

The study says 38% of EU citizens see rising prices and inflation as their major problems, while in the spring of 2010, 43% of Romanians gave this answer.

Some 39% of Romanians are most troubled by the current economic situation, compared to 35% in 2010 and 25% - the EU average.

Also, 22% of Romanians say the healthcare system is their main concern, compared to 25% in 2010 and 19% in 2011 in the EU.

The study also says 17% of Romanians (20% in the EU) are concerned by unemployment, while 16% (compared to 14% in the EU) believe taxation is the main problem.

The share of Romanians who are most troubled by pensions has gone down to 22%, from 16% in the spring of 2010.

According to the study, 8% of Romanians are concerned by the education system, 6% by housing and 5% by crime, all similar to the EU average and the values reported in 2010.

Only 1% of the study's respondents see terrorism as the main problem and 1% point to defense and foreign policy, while the environment is the main concern for 3% of Romanians.

The Eurobarometer study reveals Romanians have a negative view of the job situation - some 93% believe it is quite bad or very bad. This view is shared by the citizens of almost every EU member state; only 19% of Europeans see jobs as overall in a good state. This opinion remained constant in Romania throughout 2010, while elsewhere in the EU, the perception of the job situation improved in the second half of last year.

According to the study, Romanians are also pessimistic regarding the evolution of their household's economic situation and the job market, as only 18% and 12%, respectively, believe things will get better in the next 12 months.

The study shows perceptions on the next year vary according to age: young people are overall less pessimistic than older people. Some 37% of Romanians aged 15-24 expect things to get worse; the figure climbs to 57% in the case of people older than 55.

The national Eurobarometer 74 report was presented Tuesday in a pres conference by its author, Horia Domnariu, research director with the Center for Market and Opinion Research (CSOP). Data was collected between November 11 and December 1, 2010, from a sample of 1001 people. The error margin is +/- 3%

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