Quarter of Europeans on the Brink of Ruin, New Survey Finds
Working people across Europe and North America are struggling to make ends meet as the cost-of-living crisis prompted by sanctions and embargoes on Russian energy imports. Petrol and diesel pump prices have almost doubled and energy bills have multiplied, with a knock-on inflationary effect on other goods. More than a quarter of Europeans say they are in a "precarious" financial state and half fear they soon will be, according to a new poll. ● The six-nation survey by Ipsos for French poverty NGO Secours Populaire (People's Aid) found that 27 percent were in financial dire straits, defined as "one unexpected expenditure could change everything," while 55 percent said they had to be careful with spending to avoid getting into the same position. ● It also found that 54 percent of 6,000 people polled in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and the UK had seen the purchasing power of their income fall over the past three years.