The Greek economy might have featured in the most prominent position in the Economist’s recent “Best Performance” list, but it seems the indicators on paper do not align with the public sentiment of the country’s citizens, as the Autumn Eurobarometer reveals.
The report says Greeks are faced with burdensome financial struggles to make ends meet with a staggering 80% of respondents claiming they were unable to pay their bills.
In various polls and studies, the high cost of living is consistently cited as the primary issue facing Greek society with the Eurobarometer survey confirming that although the indicators for the Greek economy are on an upswing, citizens’ everyday reality is removed from this.
What the Chart Reveals about the Standard of Living
When asked about personal standards of living and the financial capability of Greeks, 87% believe that the standard of living will deteriorate in the next year, 12% expect no change, and 1% believe it has improved.
On a European scale, 73% believe that the standard of living will decline next year, 24% anticipate no change, 2% think it has improved, and 1% did not respond.
Eight in Ten Greeks Struggle to Pay Bills
Regarding difficulties in paying bills in the past year, 50% of Greeks say they face occasional challenges, 36% say it happens most of the time, and 14% claim they do not encounter difficulties.
In response to the same question, 62% of citizens in other EU member states state they face no problems paying bills, 28% say they encounter challenges occasionally, 9% report frequent financial management issues, and 1% did not respond.
Greece Tops the List of Countries with the Highest Difficulty in Paying Bills
According to the responses of citizens from the 27 EU member states, the countries with the least difficulty in paying bills are Sweden (6%), Denmark (7%), and Finland (20%).
Greece is the worst off of all the countries as it tops the chart of countries with the highest difficulty in paying bills:
86% Greece
64% Portugal
63% Cyprus
59% Bulgaria
57% Italy
57% Romania
55% Ireland
53% Croatia
37% Latvia
36% France
What Greeks Predict for Their Standard of Living in a Year
In response to a Eurobarometer question about whether their standard of living will improve in a year, 58% of Greeks believe it will deteriorate, 33% expect no change, 7% anticipate improvement, and 2% did not respond.
For the same question, 46% of Europeans believe their standard of living will remain the same, 38% think it will worsen, 13% expect improvement, and 3% did not respond.
Greek Views on the Economy’s Future in a Year
Asked about the state of the national economy in a year, 66% of Greeks believe it will worsen, 24% expect it to remain the same, 9% predict improvement, and 1% did not respond.
In response to the same question, 52% of Europeans believe the situation will worsen, 31% think it will remain the same, 13% expect improvement, and 4% did not respond.
