Poles' pandemic-related concerns have been steadily decreasing for three months. The anxiety index developed by consulting firm Deloitte stands at 0 percent, the same as in France. The results of the latest edition of the Global State of the Consumer Tracker survey show that the sense of safety in shops, hotels, during flights, as well as when attending mass events and using services requiring direct contact is the highest since the survey began, that is, since May 2020.

The latest survey of the moods and concerns of Polish consumers related to the coronavirus pandemic was carried out for the 15th time, while Poland has been taking part in it for the 12th consecutive time.

The surveys were completed by respondents from a total of 18 countries. In addition to Poland, these included residents of Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile and South Africa.

The survey was conducted at the turn of January and February 2021.

The third least concerned country in Europe

The third least concerned country in Europe

The level of anxiety caused by the pandemic is steadily falling in Poland. Since November, when the anxiety index developed by Deloitte was at an alarmingly high level of 34 percent, it has fallen by 34 percentage points and currently stands at zero. Over the course of a month, meanwhile, the net difference between those who agreed with the statement "I am more concerned than a week ago" and those who disagreed decreased by a further 2 percentage points.

Together with France, where the anxiety index also stood at 0 percent, we are exactly in the middle of the scale. Among European countries, we are ahead of Germany, where the level of anxiety has also been the lowest in the world since the start of the survey and stands at -32 percent. Second after Germany is the Netherlands, although it is far behind our western neighbors, as the anxiety index there is already decidedly higher at -18 percent. – says Michał Tokarski, Partner, leader of the consumer goods sector in Poland, Deloitte.

The anxiety index in India, where the level of pandemic-related concerns is globally the highest (31 percent), rose by 3 percentage points. In Europe, the anxiety index is highest in the United Kingdom and currently stands at 6 percent, although it fell from 10 percent over the course of a month.

Over the course of a month, the level of concern rose the most in the United States – by as much as 12 percentage points – and in Spain – by 8 percentage points. A noticeable, sizable drop in anxiety is evident in Ireland – by as much as 8 percentage points. The anxiety index for that country currently stands at 4 percent. – In January we observed large increases in the level of concern in some European countries – above all in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The latest results show a clear calming of moods – adds Michał Tokarski.

Experts point out that the number of respondents aged 35-54 (-8 percentage points) who declare that their level of anxiety increased over the course of a week (38 percent) has fallen considerably. Just a month ago they were the most concerned age group. At the same time, in the youngest group of respondents (18-34), the number of those who feel more concerned than a week ago grew significantly, by 5 percentage points (45 percent). Only slightly (-1 percentage point) did the number of people in the 55+ age group whose level of anxiety increased over the course of a week decrease (39 percent).

A thaw in anxieties

What is characteristic of the results of the survey conducted at the turn of January and February is a large increase in the sense of safety across all consumer activities. The number of Poles who feel safe using individual services, that is, for example, during a visit to the dentist or hairdresser, grew by as much as 9 percentage points over the course of a month, and by 8 percentage points the number of those who have no concerns about visiting a bar or restaurant, - says Krzysztof Wilk, partner associate in the Tax Advisory Department, leader of the Life Sciences & Health Care practice, Deloitte.

More than a quarter of Polish respondents (+5 percentage points) have no concerns about taking part in an event that gathers a larger number of people. After a slight decline at the beginning of the year, this month also saw a significant increase (+8 percentage points) in the number of consumers who feel safe while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores (56 percent).

Decline in Poles' pandemic-related concerns in the latest report

Concerns related to traveling are also smaller. Just under one third of respondents feel safe during air travel (+2 percentage points). The government's opening of hotels coincided with a sizable increase in the number of consumers (6 percentage points) who say they feel safe in them. Today 42 percent of Poles surveyed by Deloitte say so. In total, among Polish consumers the sense of safety in shops, hotels, during flights, as well as when attending mass events and using services requiring direct contact is the highest since the survey began, that is, since May 2020.

Since the beginning of the year, the number of consumers who worry about the health of their loved ones has fallen by 3 percentage points. Nevertheless, 77 percent is the highest result in Europe. Behind us are the Spanish (75 percent). Globally, the highest level of concern about the health of loved ones is felt in Chile and China – 81 percent each, although in the latter the number of people with such concerns fell by 5 percentage points over the course of a month.

The number of Poles who worry about returning to offices (24 percent) fell only slightly over the course of a month, by just 1 percentage point. Since November, however – that is, since the time when the level of related concerns was at its highest – this is a drop of as much as 11 percentage points. In Europe, this is a cause for concern for as many as 39 percent of Britons and 38 percent of Irish people. The number of consumers planning to limit their use of urban transport has also decreased symbolically (-1 percentage point) since the beginning of the year. Today just under half of the Poles surveyed have such concerns.

Their own state of health worries the residents of the Middle Kingdom the most in the world – 84 percent of Chinese admit this (-5 percentage points), as well as 79 percent of residents of Mexico and 78 percent of residents of Chile. In Europe, the most people concerned about their own condition are in Spain (74 percent) and in Poland. 61 percent of consumers in Poland admit this.

More relaxed about finances

Over the past few editions of the survey we observed a persistent, high level of concern about job loss. The February surveys indicate an improvement in moods on the labor market and show that since the beginning of the year the number of people who fear for their employment has fallen by 3 percentage points, and today half of us have such concerns, the same as in October last year. Nevertheless, this is still a high result. In Europe, only in Spain are more people concerned about their jobs – 54 percent, - says John Guziak, partner, leader for human capital at Deloitte Polska.

Since January, among Polish consumers the number of those kept awake at night by loan repayments (60 percent) and the state of their savings (63 percent) has fallen considerably. In both cases this is less than a month ago by as much as 5 percentage points.

The number of consumers who are putting off larger purchases for the future did not change over the course of a month. 37 percent of us are still doing so, but this is still less than in November, when 40 percent of our respondents declared such caution. Interestingly, since the last wave of the survey the number of Poles who are concerned about settling upcoming payments has grown slightly. 32 percent of those surveyed said so, only 1 percentage point less than in May, when their number was the highest in the history of the survey. - says Przemysław Szczygielski, partner, leader of the Financial Services industry in Poland, Deloitte.

Higher spending on convenience

Higher spending on convenience

After a slight decline last month, the number of Polish consumers willing to pay for convenience, such as having groceries delivered to their home (the convenience trend), grew by as much as 6 percentage points. Today 37 percent of those surveyed in Poland can afford to do so. This is the highest result in the history of the survey. Interestingly, healthcare is still the main reason why we decide to do so, but half of those surveyed are simply saving time. Almost half of us are also hunting for bargains, that is, we are ready to buy something that is not essential as long as we come across an attractive price.

– What is worth noting is the fact that the number of Poles who admit that they buy more than they are able to use up on an ongoing basis has fallen. Just a month ago 46 percent of domestic consumers said so, which gave the highest result for Poland in the history of the survey and the highest in Europe. Admittedly, this month's result – 41 percent – is still the highest in Europe, but the same number of Britons and Dutch said so, and only slightly fewer Italians – adds Michał Tokarski. Globally, the most consumers stock up in India – 65 percent.

The report for download can be found here.

Summary

The anxiety index of Poles related to the pandemic has fallen to 0 percent, which means the lowest level of concern since May 2020. The improvement in moods is visible in safety during shopping, hotel visits or use of hairdressing services – the percentage of those feeling safe rose by as much as 9 percentage points over the course of a month. Nevertheless, 77 percent of Poles still worry about the health of their loved ones, which is the highest result in Europe.

Fear about finances is also decreasing – half of respondents are currently concerned about their jobs, and 60 percent about loan repayments. Importantly, the willingness to pay for convenience has increased (37 percent), reaching a historic maximum. The Deloitte report shows that the 12th wave of the survey in Poland reveals a clear social thaw relative to the autumn peak of anxiety at the level of 34 percent.