A new research report carried out in May 2024 by the CIPRA Association – the Center for Information, Risk Prevention and Analysis – together with Reveal Marketing Research highlights a notable change in the perception of Romanians towards the aspects that have an impact on their quality of life.
Romanians have become more concerned, in recent years, about a healthier life. PHOTO: Archive
Thus, in 2024 respondents ranked sleep/rest first, with major importance for 54% of them, while the balance between personal and professional life rose to second place (52%, compared to 45% in 2023), and food completes the top 3, falling from the first position it held last year (51% compared to 67% in 2023). In the 4th and 5th places are still the sporting activity, with a slight increase compared to the previous period, and indulgence in moderation, ranked last in terms of importance again this year, but with a significant increase, from 28% in 2023 to 34 % in 2024.
“The way in which the perception of Romanians towards the aspects that impact the quality of life evolves from one year to the next is always surprising, that is precisely why we need these detailed market studies – they keep us connected with changes and help us adapt our approach to trends that we detect, in order to remain a source of information as current and useful as possible. This year, for example, Romanians seem to be more and more aware of the importance of sufficient quantitative and qualitative sleep in their lives, an often neglected aspect, which, however, depends on how efficient we are at work, how present we are in the middle of the family or how much energy we have left for hobbies and other important activities. And the steps we take to improve both our sleep and our personal balance, nutrition, physical activity, or time for self-indulgence can go a long way toward avoiding long-term dissatisfaction and discomfort.“, declares Constantin Bratu, President of CIPRA.
For 1 in 6 Romanians in the 25-35 age group, sleep has increased importance (58% compared to the average of 54% for the entire sample), while nutrition is significantly more important for the 55-65 age group years (61% compared to the average of 51% for the entire sample).
Mood, more valuable than money
When asked about the important factors in life, survey respondents mentioned family first, as last year, but with higher percentages this year (89%, compared to 83%). A significant change in this regard is related to the importance that people give to the state of mind, which has advanced and ranks second after the family, with 84 percent, being considered a priority compared to the physical and financial state, which have acquired more generous percentages last year.
In terms of the degree of satisfaction with different aspects of life, the following items have recorded more or less consistent declines:
70% of respondents are satisfied with the house they live in (compared to 76% in 2023)
62% are satisfied with the food they eat (up from 70% in 2023)
53% are satisfied with the time they spend relaxing (up from 58% in 2023)
34% spend a lot of time with friends (compared to 39% in 2023).
The main stressors remained unchanged: rising prices, the current economic context and the financial situation. Money aspects are followed by lack of time, felt more acutely this year (49% compared to 44%) and family responsibilities, also more pressing (42% compared to 33% in 2023).
In addition, this year 40% of respondents declare themselves stressed by the need to meet certain standards imposed by society. The professional activity itself (36%) and the relationship with the life partner (35%) are also stressful to a greater extent this year.
Similar to last year, about half of the respondents consider their quality of life to be good; those who rate it as weak are especially people between the ages of 55 and 65 with low income.
The degree of satisfaction with aspects of Romanians' lives is also influenced in 2024 by hygiene/cleanliness in the home (81%), followed by the degree of satisfaction with the house they live in (70%), personal safety (62%) and food that they consume (62%).
Conducted by Reveal Marketing Research in May 2024 based on the CAWI (online self-administered questionnaires) methodology, the CIPRA study targeted a nationally representative sample of 1,008 respondents, male and female internet users, aged 18 to 65 , from the urban or rural environment.
