Specyfika reakcji wiejskich gospodarstw domowych na przemiany systemowe w Polsce

Throughout history, changes in an economic system of a nation made the households adapt by reducing their needs or by obtaining additional resources (mostly financial) for satisfying the needs at a similar level. A study of 600 households in Lublin province also confirms it is true for Poland. In the fall of 1994, the households answered the questionnaire providing an opinion on the economic/financial position of their families and telling what they did to improve the situation. Over two-thirds of respondents reported a deteriorating economic and financial position of their households and activities in order to improve the situation. Because of the difficult position of households as regards income, there are various activities to adapt to changed objective conditions. More than half of the households introduced changes in their food, clothing and transport. The needs were reduced by buying less food, clothes, by reducing or limiting services. Frequently they produce food for their family, which is certainly done to a greater extent among rural households. In general, families tend to be more optimistic about their own economic and financial situation than about the national one. It should be pointed out that people living in the country showed greater optimism as to their future economic position.