Poll suggests Czechs save most on food & clothes
A new poll released by the Czech discount retail website Skrz.cz, which offers the use of a search engine to trawl for the best deals – has suggested that Czechs trying to save money cut-back most on either clothes or food, opting to knot an older tie or chow down on cheaper food, presumably, rather than knock themselves out at boutique fashion shops or swanky restaurants.
Nineteen percent of respondents, meanwhile, said they saved most on their personal hobbies or socialising, tending to stay at home rather than going out. Only six percent, according to the poll, saved the most, for example, on heating, and five percent on transport.
The poll also suggested that priorities differed between rural and urban areas: in the cities, Czechs attempting to save tended to cut back more on food and clothes, and less on hobbies, while the opposite was true in smaller towns or villages. The most striking group of respondents were those with university educations, who, for example, cut back the least when it came to how they spent their free time. More than 90 percent in this group indicated they did not restrict leisure activities in order to try and save extra crowns.
More than 500 respondents took part. Saving more became a greater priority for many households after the first waves of the 2008 economic crisis were felt in the Czech Republic. Following the slowing of the economy, layoffs in areas and austerity measures taken by the previous government, many cut spending significantly. On the other hand, according to the poll, some 20 percent of respondents say that currently they do not save at all. Others note, that a large number of Czechs live in debt, taking out loans to pay for tomorrow what they can’t pay for today.
