Rising prices and high inflation are by far the most common problems for consumers this year. This was the result of a representative survey commissioned by the online termination portal Aboalarm and the results of which are available exclusively to WELT AM SONNTAG.
Around 40 percent of citizens named the generally high cost of living as the biggest problem. For comparison: at the end of 2021, only one in four said so. People on low incomes are most worried about the ongoing price increases, specifically 45 percent of consumers with an income of less than 1500 euros net per month.
The anger about the record prices for electricity and gas, on the other hand, is still limited. Only one in four named energy costs as the biggest problem at the moment. "In the case of electricity, the abolition of the EEG surcharge only relieves households in the short term because it does not compensate for the additional costs due to rising electricity prices," says subscription alarm savings expert Felix Riesenberg.
In the case of gas, the discounts for many customers have not increased at all. "Even tenants are not yet feeling the current price wave, but rather only concentrated on the utility bill next spring," says Riesenberg.
Nevertheless, the high energy costs have become a bigger problem from the consumer's point of view than the fuel prices. The slight easing at the petrol stations ensures that the petrol bill is the biggest consumer annoyance for only one in five Germans.
At the beginning of the year, the cost of fuel was still in second place on the trouble list. "After the summer break in the Bundestag, the federal government must quickly take measures to ensure that food, heat and mobility remain affordable for everyone, and specifically relieve people with low incomes," demands Riesenberg.
The current chaos in air and train travel, on the other hand, upsets very few. Only 2.6 percent said this was their biggest problem - and thus significantly less than in the past Corona summer, when the corresponding value was 8.3 percent. Instead, consumers are burdened more heavily by high rents, unwanted telemarketing calls or bank charges and negative interest rates. A total of 1037 adults were interviewed between July 12th and 13th for the survey.
According to a recent survey by the market research institute GfK, consumers see savings potential primarily when shopping for groceries and personal care products. Between January and May, they reached the shelves less often. Accordingly, consumers primarily avoided meat and sausage products, fresh fruit or vegetables and fresh baked goods.
With these products, consumers would quickly adapt their strategies by buying less, resorting to offer prices or switching from manufacturer brands to cheaper own brands, according to GfK. However, this year's holiday shows hardly any restraint. The number of bookings for private trips in the current summer season is comparable to 2019, i.e. before the pandemic, and in some cases even exceeded it.
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