Most Urban Romanians Remain Wary Of Large Acquisitions - Poll

05.23.2011 By Andrei Circhelan

A recent poll by Romanian research firm ISRA Center Marketing Research shows that only a handful of Romanians in urban areas plan to buy a home or a car within the next 12 months.

Thus, only 13% of interviewees said they plan to buy a home within the next 12 months, and only 10% are planning to buy a car, ISRA said in a news release Monday.

The bulk of urban Romanians, namely some 70%, said they own housing, but the percentages vary greatly on age, the company noted. While only 40% of Romanians aged between 20 and 34 own a home, in the 50 to 65 age group 90% of respondents are owners.

Among the owners, 37% also have a bank loan, 15% plan to renovate within the next 12 months and 9% plan to change furniture.

In addition, 3% of owners said they might change homes, while only 1% said they would seek a second home.

Half of urban Romanians own a car. The 35 to 49 age group boasts the largest number of car owners, namely 61%.

Among automobile owners, 6% plan to change their car and 4% want to buy a second one.

The poll also showed that 4 out of 10 Romanians own a home and a car, while 20% lack ownership of both. The typical home and car owners is aged between 35 and 49, with an income of more than 2,000 lei (EUR490) per month.

In addition, 3 out of 10 urban Romanians hold bank loans, most of them aged between 35 and 40 and living in south Romania and near Bucharest. However, Bucharest itself is at the other end of the list, with the lowest number of people with bank loans. Only 7% of interviewees plan to take a loan within the next 12 months.

The survey used a sample of 1,108 respondents, representing urban population aged between 20 and 60.