Energy and fuel price rises force Europeans to skip even doctor visits, survey finds
A survey by Ipsos and the French organisation Secours populaire français in ten European countries shows that high energy and fuel prices are pushing people to cut spending on food, holidays and healthcare. Over a third of respondents gave up essential spending in the past year.
Rising fuel and energy prices are forcing people across Europe to cut even essential spending, including on healthcare. This follows from an annual public opinion study carried out by the research company Ipsos together with the French organisation Secours populaire français, as reported by Euronews. The study indicates that financial insecurity is becoming a lasting part of daily life in many countries.
What the survey shows
About 29% of Europeans say they live in financially insecure conditions, and 73% fear they will not be able to afford fuel costs. The survey covered 10,000 people aged 18 and over in ten countries: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom and Serbia. Residents of Greece, Italy and Portugal expressed the greatest concern about fuel costs.
Price rises have been fuelled by Russia's war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, as well as new attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude oil rose above 100 US dollars a barrel and stayed above that level. In Portugal, petrol and diesel prices hit a record high on 7 September, and diesel became more expensive than at any time before.
What people give up
Over the past year, more than a third of respondents had to give up essential spending, such as food or healthcare, in order to pay for energy and fuel. In Moldova and Greece, people do so up to three times as often as in Germany and the United Kingdom. Faced with high fuel prices, people first give up holidays, then visit distant relatives less often. Around 30% have stopped driving to work, even if the journey takes considerably longer. Some 23% of respondents have skipped a doctor's appointment because of price increases.
To cut energy bills, some lower their heating or switch it off entirely, while others take cold showers. Almost seven in ten respondents have adopted at least one measure to reduce energy costs, and slightly more than half use several at once. In France and Greece, people most often turn off heating in some rooms, while in Moldova they more often stop using certain appliances.
