Study shows most Romanians prefer to consume locally
A total of 90% of Romanians say they prefer to consume locally, the 2019 edition of the pan-European study L'Observatoire Cetelem showed.
The study looked at the perception of Europeans about local consumption and showed their desire to consume more responsibly, with 89% of Europeans showing a preference for local products.
Romanians view local products as being of better quality than the imported ones, the study showed. At the same time, they perceive local consumption as a reflection of their own values, believing that this habit can generate a positive impact in the community. A total of 34% of the Romanian respondents believe that the purchase of local products is an act of patriotism, 31% see this as an important objective to be pursued in the future and 30% consider that such an attitude is an expression of national pride.
While only 22% of Romanians are convinced that choosing to purchase locally manufactured products helps protect the environment, the average of European countries is 42%, with Sweden (61%), Austria (55%) and Italy (47%) leading the way.
In the case of furniture, household appliances and equipment, 79% of Romanians say they can easily find products manufactured locally or regionally, Romania being above the European average of only 59%. When talking about the availability of hygiene and beauty products, the Romanian market is again above (76%) the European average (55%). The textile industry is also strongly represented, with 72% of Romanians considering that there is a varied offer on the market, as opposed to the European average, which is 54%.
Regarding purchasing preferences, 94% of the Romanians choose, always or most of the time, to buy food that is produced in Romania, 71% prefer local hygiene and beauty products, 73% choose household equipment locally manufactured, 67% opt for clothing articles produced in the country or in the region, and only one third of them opt for a car (34%) or for Hi-Fi equipment (31%) of local origin.
Still, price can interfere with the desire to consumer locally. Over half of Romanians (53%) believe that local products have higher costs than imported ones. However, 2 out of 3 consumers are prepared to make financial efforts in order to purchase local products.
“In Romania, more and more people embrace local consumption and appreciate its benefits. Whether they are doing so to support the labor market, to generate economic growth, for patriotic reasons or from environmental concerns, for 45% of Romanians the development of local consumption is a priority and over half of them (52%) are of the opinion that it is important to encourage local consumption and locally manufactured products. The appetite for local products also encourages the local producers and is definitely a recognition of the benefits deriving from sustainable and responsible production models,” Bruno Leroux, CEO of BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Bucharest Branch, said.
L'Observatoire Cetelem 2019 was conducted in 17 European countries on a sample of 13,800 people aged 18 to 75 years. In Romania, the study was based on a sample of 800 respondents.
editor@romania-insider.com
