EU citizens are not doing well when it comes to financial literacy. Nearly half lack an understanding of basic financial concepts, including inflation.

EU citizens are not doing well when it comes to financial literacy. Nearly half lack an understanding of basic financial concepts, including inflation.

A third of Europeans do not understand how inflation works, according to a survey by Eurobarometer. The same survey revealed only 18% of EU citizens were able to show a high level of financial literary.

According to the survey, 65% of EU citizens are aware that, in times of positive inflation, the purchasing power of their money decreases, meaning they can buy less than they could before with the same amount of money.

Lack of knowledge about inflation could be seen as concerning

In October 2022, the annual inflation in the EU reached levels not seen before in the previous four decades at 11.5%. While the rising cost of living was the most pressing worry for 93% of Europeans at that time, apparently a third of EU citizens do not know how inflation affects their lives.

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The best performers were the Netherlands (43%), Denmark (40%), Finland (40%) and Estonia (39%) where about four in 10 respondents display a high level of financial knowledge.

Romania and Portugal reported the worst scores in high levels of financial knowledge at 13% and 16%, respectively.

  • Flying SquidEnglish
    -7•10 months ago

    No, the question was how financially literate are Europeans. Hence the headline: How financially literate are Europeans? Not very - but who knows most?

    And my answer is still- it’s basically impossible for most people, if anyone, to be financially literate in 2024.

      • @[email protected]English
        3•10 months ago

        Lemmy is just an echo chamber of financial illiteracy.

        I mean, maybe that’s true – I’ve seen no poll on here.

        But I think that the article’s point stands, and it’s talking about a Eurobarometer poll of Europe as a whole and Europe not doing so well. That’s not just a tiny pocket somewhere.

      • Flying SquidEnglish
        0•10 months ago

        Are you literate or do you think you’re literate? Have you and your friends taken any evaluations to back that up? If so, who designed the evaluations?

        Because I bet could I find an economist who would tell you that all sorts of things you think you know about how economies were are entirely wrong. And then a second one to tell you that everything that the first economist says is wrong.

          • Flying SquidEnglish
            -3•10 months ago

            Americans genetically are horrible at financial literacy.

            Uh…

            It’s something that should be taught in school.

            If Americans are genetically horrible at it, you can’t teach it to them.

              • Flying SquidEnglish
                -1•10 months ago

                Okay, well anyway, I think the test is confusing economics with financial literacy because not knowing the connection between bond prices and inflation doesn’t show you’re financially illiterate. Not knowing details about bond investment is not a sign of financial illiteracy. If it was, almost everyone would be financially illiterate because most people aren’t doing a lot of trading in the bond markets.