Price increase number one concern for Estonian residents
Rising everyday expenses are the biggest concern for Estonians, a survey commissioned by the Government Office shows, though fewer now feel economically insecure about the future.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they were worried about rising everyday expenses.
Eighty-five percent expressed concern about Estonia's overall economic situation and 79 percent about planned tax changes.
The war in Ukraine worries 74 percent of respondents, while 67 percent fear that war could break out in Estonia or elsewhere in Europe.
Sixty-three percent are concerned about possible shortages of electricity or other energy resources in Estonia.
Estonians are less worried about the expansion of Defense Forces training areas (36 percent) and the transition to Estonian-language education (34 percent).
The survey also found that ethnic Estonians are somewhat less concerned than respondents of other nationalities about rising everyday costs (84 vs. 91 percent), the general economic situation (83 vs. 90 percent) and tax changes (74 vs. 89 percent).
However, Estonians are more worried about the war in Ukraine (81 vs. 61 percent) and the possibility that it could spread to Estonia and the rest of Europe (70 vs. 60 percent).
Economic confidence on the mend
Respondents were also asked: "Thinking about the next six months and considering your household's current income and expenses, how confident do you feel about being able to plan and cover your (family's) obligations and costs?"
In the survey conducted in June, 40 percent said they felt confident (either somewhat or completely), compared with 50 percent in September.
Ethnic Estonian respondents felt more confident about the future (57 percent) than respondents of other nationalities (36 percent).
The survey also shows that while the outlook among non-Estonian respondents has remained largely unchanged since June, fewer Estonians now feel economically insecure about the future. In June, 55 percent of Estonian respondents felt uncertain about the future, compared with 41 percent in September. Among non-Estonian respondents, the share of those feeling insecure decreased slightly, from 63 to 61 percent.
The survey, commissioned by the Government Office and conducted by Turu-uuringute AS, took place from September 17–21 and included 1,265 respondents aged 15 and older. It was carried out using a combination of web and telephone interviews. The full results are available (in Estonian) here.
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Editor: Urmet Kook, Marcus Turovski
