ZAGREB, November 1, 2020 – Socialising, travel, festivals and concerts is what retail users of banking services in Croatia miss the most during the coronavirus pandemic because of which nearly 50% of them are not planning any trips abroad this winter, a MasterIndex survey by the Mastercard financial services company shows.
The online survey was carried out by the Improve market research research in September and October on a sample of 1,000 users of banking services in Croatia aged between 18 and 55. They were asked about their habits of using financial services and their opinion on payment cards, as well as about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on consumers.
Respondents said they are mostly concerned about their financial situation, family dynamics and happiness, followed by their social relations and health, with older people saying they are more concerned about their physical health and younger people about their mental health.
Most of the respondents, 46% and 45% respectively, fear losing their job and a decline in the quality of healthcare services, while 33% are concerned about price increases, 31% about travel restrictions, and 30% about a decline in the quality of education. Only 12% said they are concerned about getting infected with the coronavirus.
In addition to socialising, travel, festivals and concerts, respondents said they also miss family gatherings, theatre, cinema, exhibitions, sporting events and, to a lesser extent, going out and nightlife, and recreation.
This year 48% of those interviewed are not planning any trips abroad, while 21% are still hoping they will be able to travel this winter. This time last year these percentages were quite the opposite as 48% of respondents were planning a trip abroad and 27% weren’t.
Of those planning a trip abroad this winter, 11% said they are going to visit one of the European capitals during the pre-Christmas period (compared to 25% in 2019), while only 5% are planning a skiing trip and a New Year’s Eve celebration abroad. Their trips will last between four and seven days.
