How Much Did the Pandemic Consumption Behaviour Contribute to the Rising Inflation? The North-Western Romanian Households’ Perspectives
How Much Did the Pandemic Consumption Behaviour Contribute to the Rising Inflation? The North-Western Romanian Households’ Perspectives

Author(s): Adrian-Gheorghe Florea, Diana-Claudia Perticas, Diana-Cristina Sava
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Economy
Published by: Udruženje ekonomista i menadžera Balkana
Summary/Abstract: The living standards of Europeans have been facing serious challenges starting with the Covid-19 pandemic, and continuing with the Russia-Ukraine war and all its threats. Europe is facing one of its outcomes in the current gas shortage problem, impacting negatively various aspects of the Europeans’ lives, such as rising inflation. However, the rising trend of inflation was noticed even before the problems related to the Russian gas supply. The current paper presumes the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdown and the changes in consumption behaviour also have a relevant contribution to the rising inflation; in this respect, the authors used both deductive – by collecting data regarding the national indicators – and inductive methods, as well – by conducting a survey in the Western part of Romania investigating the consumption patterns. The pandemic challenged individuals, institutions, entire systems, countries and regions to adapt to hardship and to create new ways of overcoming the restrictions imposed by the lockdown; although considering the stressful times and situations created by this phenomenon, it also enhanced negative adaptive and coping behaviours. This paper’s focus falls on the level and ways of spending during the pandemic, to assess if the rising inflation started with the irrational spending during the pandemic.

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