Europeans Are Skipping Family Visits and Medical Appointments to Pay Energy Bills, Survey Finds
Energy poverty is becoming a lasting strain on European households, not just a seasonal worry, according to an annual survey by Ipsos and Secours populaire français.
The study, based on interviews with 10,000 adults aged 18 and older in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the U.K. and Serbia, found that 29% of respondents describe their living conditions as precarious. Seventy-three percent fear they will not be able to afford fuel costs.
The findings arrive against a volatile energy backdrop. Russia's war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East have aggravated rising energy and fuel prices. With shipping again under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, Brent crude topped $100 a barrel on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and held firm Thursday morning.
Among the 10 countries studied, Greek, Italian and Portuguese respondents are the most worried about fuel expenses. In Portugal, fuel and diesel prices hit a record high on Sept. 7, the biggest jump in four years and the highest diesel price ever recorded.
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Over the past year, more than one in three Europeans have sacrificed significant expenses, including food and health care, to cope with energy or fuel bills. People in Moldova and Greece reported making such sacrifices at up to three times the rate of people in Germany and the U.K.
When fuel costs bite, vacations are the first to go, followed by visits to relatives who live far away. Three in 10 Europeans also stop using their car to get to work, even when that makes the commute much longer.
Perhaps most alarming, 23% of respondents have skipped medical appointments because of rising costs. Households are also lowering or turning off heating and taking cold showers. Nearly 70% have adopted at least one measure to reduce energy bills, and slightly more than half say they use several. French and Greek respondents are the most likely to turn off heating in certain rooms, while Moldovans choose not to use certain appliances.
The survey paints a picture of an uneven crisis. The hardest-hit households are not merely trimming extras; they are delaying care, pulling back from family life and changing how they work and travel. That has implications for public health, social cohesion and Europe's broader cost-of-living debate, as governments face pressure to protect vulnerable households while energy markets remain unsettled.