Economic Satisfaction and Spending Practices

SUMMARY

This section examines participants' perspectives on rising inflation, perceptions of social class, methods of covering household expenses, the impact of government policies on family budgets and the national economy, and changes in purchasing and consumption behaviors:

• What are your thoughts on the rapid increase in prices/inflation in recent times?
• If we were to divide the entire population into five income and welfare groups, with 1 being the wealthiest and 5 the poorest, which group do you think you belong to?
• How do you cover your household expenses?
• How have government policies over the past year affected your family budget?
• How have government policies over the past year affected the national economy?
• Have you recently stopped buying certain products from markets or grocery stores due to price increases? If so, which products?

A large segment of society believes that the increase in inflation stems from the government's wrong economic policies. This belief has continued its upward trend since the December'16 Barometer, reaching its highest level to date. This trend is observed even among ruling bloc voters. Trust in the government's economic policies is at its lowest level. 3 out of every 4 people state that the government's policies negatively affect their family budgets. 50 percent of AK Party voters also agree with this statement. A very large portion of society states that they have given up buying a product due to its price. As age increases, the likelihood of encountering this statement also increases. Finally, the distribution and the 2-year change of the products that society states they cannot afford are quite striking.