Vienna, Austria . File photoVIENNA, Oct 12More than a third of Austrian citizens have reported a reduction in income over the past year, according to a report on the results of a sociological study conducted by the Federal Office of Statistics. The study, which is conducted once a quarter, involves Austrian citizens from 16 to 69 years old. The current study concerns the social situation in the second quarter of this year, 3120 people took part in it, who filled out the relevant questionnaires proposed by the statistical office.Media: Austrians on edge over Ukraine»More than a third of those surveyed in May/June 2022 said they had lost income in the last 12 months — this extrapolated figure corresponds to about 2.3 million people… The main cause of income loss is most often called high inflation, which has an increasingly negative impact. Shortening of working hours and lower wages as the main reason were of less importance compared to previous stages of the study,» the study report published on the agency's website says. Also, 31% of respondents said that expect their household income to decrease over the next 12 months. Savings are becoming more necessary — 44% of respondents indicated that they «will cut their spending on large purchases, for example, furniture, car, travel, this is a significant increase compared to the previous two studies,» the report says. At the beginning of summer, 16% of those surveyed already experienced great difficulty in paying current expenses, many people had exhausted their financial reserves: 28% of respondents aged 16 to 69 could not afford to spend more than 1,300 euros without having to borrow money or pay in installments. Among the groups most affected by financial hardship are low-income people, the unemployed, single parents, and families with multiple children. Austria faces closure due to rising energy prices»Paying the cost of housing is perceived as a growing problem. For about 1.1 million people (18%), housing costs became a major financial burden in the second quarter of 2022. This is a 5 percent increase. than in the first quarter of 2022,» the study says. Also, about 19% of respondents expressed concern that «at the beginning of the summer they will have difficulty paying the costs of housing incurred, as well as any rent or loan payments, additional housing costs and operating costs in the coming months,» the study says. This is also 5 percent higher compared to the survey for the first quarter of the year. The share of citizens concerned about this issue is especially high among council tenants (30%) and in cities (24%). crumbling
