Anxiety Index down by 18 percentage points

The acceleration of the vaccination process resulted in a decrease in fears related to the pandemic within a month, and the anxiety index dropped by 18 percentage points in May. However, still, 47 percent of Poles is afraid of losing his job, according to a Deloitte study.

As reported in the research report, after the nervous period caused by the increase in morbidity at the turn of March and April and the introduction of the third lockdown, there was a clear calming of moods and fears among Polish consumers. This is shown by the Deloitte Anxiety Index, which fell by 18 percentage points during the month. A larger decline in the index in Poland was recorded only once before – in December 2020. Currently, the net difference between people who agreed with the sentence "I am more concerned than a week ago" and those who denied it is minus 5 percent.

According to the authors of the report, the reasons for the improvement in moods are the increasing number of vaccinated people and the decline in the number of cases, and a similar trend is visible throughout Europe. All the countries in the region experienced declines in the anxiety index. 

As it was written in the research report, despite a large increase in the general sense of security among Polish respondents, there was only a slight decrease in the level of concern for the health of family members. 76 percent admit to them when asked, i.e. only by 3 percentage points. less than a month ago. Thus, Polish consumers are most concerned about it in Europe. We are in fifth place in the world.

After considerable and quite sudden drops in the sense of security in consumer activities in April, May brought a clear reversal of the trend, and Poles feel more and more confident in places such as a shop or a hairdressing salon. Moreover, the number of Poles who feel safe using services that require direct contact and those who would stay in a hotel without fear is the highest in the history of the Polish consumer survey. The number of consumers who feel safe in restaurants has also increased (42 percent). On the other hand, almost a third of us have no fear of traveling by plane, and more than a quarter of us would go to a mass event such as a concert or a match without fear.

Poland is at the forefront of European countries with the highest level of anxiety related to keeping a job (47 percent). Only Spaniards are ahead of us (54 percent). Since the beginning of April, people who are worried about their employment have only dropped by 2 percentage points. 

(PAP)