QCOSTARICA – The main concerns of people in the midst of the pandemic revolve around the economic situation of their homes, according to a survey carried out by the Instituto de Estudios Sociales en Población (Idespo) de la Universidad Nacional (UNA) – Institute of Social Studies in Population of the National University.
According to the telephone survey carried out with 800 people, two out of three respondents (67%) said that their family finances worsened with the pandemic and more than three out of four people (77.5%) said they had to do adjustments and changes in their expenses to get ahead.
“People do feel that within their economic dynamics, things were affected. However, we also see a solidarity component, 50% are allocating their income to support a relative or close person whose economy was affected,” said Laura Solís, one of the researchers.
Another aspect that the study revealed is related to the use of credit cards: only 29% pay the entire payment in cash at the end of the month, 21% make some type of partial payment, 41.3% make the minimum payment and there are 8.9% who cannot make payments at all.
“This last group is the smallest, however, it is something that worries, there are relatively few people who are making their payments,” said Solís.
In contrast, 26.6% do manage to allocate their income to save.
The outlook for this 2021, according to the perceptions of these people is not flattering: 57% say that the economy will get worse and 21% that it will remain the same.
Perception about the pandemic
98.7% of the people responding to the survey said they used a mask and 40.9% also used a face shiled as a complementary measure.
98.9% said they wash their hands frequently with soap and water, and 97.5% use alcohol gel.
In addition, 97% maintain a physical distance of at least 1.8 meters with people who are not from their social bubble.
89.7% also expressed that they avoid making social gatherings with people with whom they do not live.
Regarding the reasons why people leave home, the main ones are to go to the supermarket or pharmacy (81%), ATM (53%), work (44%) and to medical appointments (35%).
The survey
Idespo called cell phones chosen at random using a computer program. These included all the telephone operators in the country.
The opinion of 800 people of legal age, Costa Ricans or foreigners with at least one year of living in the country, was taken: 52% women and 48% men.
The questions were asked between September 28 and October 16.
The margin of error is 3.6%.
