Some 48 percent of Slovaks believe that the economic situation in the country has deteriorated over the past 12 months, while only 14 percent think that conditions have improved, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) announced on February 25.
Meanwhile, 35 percent of the people who took part in the survey concerned believe that the economic situation hasn’t changed over the past year. When asked about their expectations for the future, 19 percent said that the situation will improve in the next 12 months, while 43 percent don't expect any change, and 33 percent foresee deterioration.
When it comes to consumer prices, 51 percent said that the prices of goods and services have gone up slightly, 25 percent believe that they’ve increased in medium terms, and 7 percent said that price hikes have been significant. Only 13 percent think that prices have remained steady, while 1 percent stated that they've fallen over the past 12 months, the TASR newswire quoted the ŠÚ. Most of those questioned (73 percent) expect price hikes in Slovakia over the next 12 months; 21 percent predicted slower growth in prices than over the past year, 36 percent expect the same pace of growth, while 16 percent said that price growth will accelerate. At the same time, 19 percent expect the same price level over the next 12 months, and 2 percent expect prices to fall.
Unemployment in Slovakia will decrease over the next 12 months, according to 21 percent of the respondents. Meanwhile, 31 percent expect unemployment to stay flat, and 45 percent foresee an increase. ŠÚ also wrote that 21 percent said that their households are financially better off than they were 12 months ago, while 41 percent haven’t seen any change and 37 percent complained about a deterioration.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
