More than two million people were affected by loss of income last year. Over 800,000 struggled to meet current expenses. This is shown by the second study “This is how we are doing today”, which Statistics Austria carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Eurostat.
For this purpose, more than 3,500 people in Austria were surveyed in the first quarter of 2022. The aim of the quarterly survey is to identify the social consequences of the current crisis as early as possible and to counteract the effects in good time. The study shows the social impact of the pandemic and inflation on the surveyed group of people aged 16 to 69. The unemployed, unskilled workers, single parents and families with large children continue to be particularly hard hit by the consequences. Of the two million people who have lost income, one in five cited inflation as the cause.
1,300 euros unexpected expenses
The proportion of people struggling to finance basic necessities has increased sharply over the course of 2021 and compared to pre-crisis levels. The study shows that 1.7 million people in Austria currently cannot afford to pay unexpected expenses of 1,300 euros. More than 770,000 people cannot even fulfill small wishes like going to the cinema. 383,000 people do not have enough financial means to keep their homes warm enough during the cold season. 476,000 people cannot feed themselves adequately for financial reasons.
The study also shows that housing costs are currently a heavy financial burden for 820,000 people. 860,000 people expect to have difficulties paying their housing costs in the next three months. In the last quarter of 2021, this figure was still 750,000. The number of people in arrears with rent, ancillary housing costs, operating costs or loan installments has also increased. In the group of the unemployed, almost a third is in arrears.
Social Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) was alarmed in a broadcast in view of these numbers. “The fact that so many people in a rich country like Austria can hardly meet their current expenses is an alarm signal and a clear mandate for politicians. With the inflation package, we are providing relief, both acutely and in the long term. The federal government’s measures against inflation are bringing many people an additional month or two. That’s a lot of money for everyone who really needs our help.”
Source: Nachrichten
