The rise in the cost of living and poverty are the topics that most concern the Portuguese, according to the Eurobarometer.

According to the latest Eurobarometer, the rise in the cost of living as a result of inflation exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, as well as poverty and social exclusion, are the issues that most worry the Portuguese.

According to the latest European statistics report released this Thursday, which polled 1,028 Portuguese citizens out of 26,431 citizens belonging to member states of the European Union (EU), 98% of the country’s citizens identified an increase in the cost of living, for example, due to higher prices for food and energy as the most worrying issue, a percentage that is five percentage points higher than the average of 27.

Despite the concerns, 47% of national respondents answered that for the time being they are living with some comfort with the income they have, while 40% reported that they currently face some difficulties, and 9% said that they face great difficulties with their current income. . Compared to the European average, 46% said they are living comfortably with their available income, and 36% say they are experiencing some difficulty.

The next topic that most worries the population of the country is poverty and social exclusion (95%).. There is a larger gap with the European average here, with 82% responding that this is a major concern.

But the biggest discrepancy comes when it comes to the possibility of spreading infectious diseases like covid-19 or monkeypox. The Portuguese are more fearful than the European average, as 83% responded that they are “worried” about this hypothesis, in contrast to the EU average of 62%.

With almost a year left before the war in Ukraine and no end in sight, fears of a nuclear escalation in the conflict continue to hover in the air, as reflected in most of the more than 1,000 Portuguese citizens surveyed. 89% answered that they fear “nuclear incidents” and only 9% answered that this issue does not cause concern. Looking at the group of countries in the community bloc, 74% believe the risk is real, while 25% reject the possibility.

Also asked about the state of the country as a whole, 43% of the Portuguese surveyed believe that they are going “in the wrong direction”, but here, too, the Portuguese are below the European average of 62%. 30% of the country’s citizens believe that Portugal is on the right track, 16% do not know and 11% believe that the situation in the country remains the same.

Regarding the state of the European Union, the percentage of Portuguese (35%) contrasts with the European (51%) when the answer is: “Things are going in the wrong direction. The same number of Portuguese believe that the European Union is on the right track.

However, more than half of the Portuguese (52% in a sample of 1028 people) are optimistic about the future of the communal bloc. According to this parameter, the population aged 15 to 24 and 40 to 54 show a large share of optimism about the future of the EU – 52% and 61%, respectively.