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BRIEF October 27, 2021

Survey: How has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Croatian Households?

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  • About the Survey

    The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of the lives of the Croatian population. The national lockdown. School closure. Job losses. Rising prices. The two devastating earthquakes—on March 22, 2020 with an epicenter near Zagreb, and on December 29, 2020 with an epicenter near Petrinja—made 2020 even more difficult to cope with.

    2021 has brought new hope. The country is seeing a robust economic rebound and improved conditions for workers. In addition, the government is looking to address the main obstacles for stronger and more inclusive growth through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, approved by the European Union Council in July 2021. But the recovery is not likely to benefit everyone equally. According to a series of World Bank surveys, the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on the poor and vulnerable people - especially the working poor, women and rural residents.

    The Croatia Rapid Response Survey aims to monitor and assess the impact of this societal upheaval on the Croatian people’s wellbeing from the beginning of the pandemic to the build-back-better recovery process. It is a nationally representative phone survey of the population that captures rapidly changing situations with a focus on employment, income, and public opinion. Surveys (done in five rounds) capture aspects of the informal economy that GDP statistics may miss. The findings can inform policy makers and development partners of the evolving effects of the pandemic on different segments of the Croatian population and help with the design of mitigation programs to protect the most vulnerable groups. This makes them a valuable tool during crises to help governments and development partners to focus their limited resources on those in most dire need of assistance.  

    In Croatia, the findings have been publicly presented and discussed in a recorded panel set up, with policy makers, academia and NGOs. These findings aim at informing policy makers and development partners of the evolving effects of the pandemic on different segments of the Croatian population with the objective of helping with the design of mitigation programs to protect the most vulnerable groups.

    Questions about the survey can be directed to Nga Thi Viet Nguyen.

  • Findings

    The Croatia survey findings were publicly presented, informing policy makers and development partners of the evolving effects of the pandemic on different segments of the Croatian population. The World Bank hosted a lively discussion with representatives from the Government, the NGOs, and academics about how to make the recovery process inclusive and supportive of the poorest and the most vulnerable groups in Croatia.

    Key messages from the five survey rounds findings are:

    After a difficult year, 2021 shows a strong recovery in growth and employment:

    • GDP growth is expected to reach 7.6% in 2021, after a negative 8% in 2020.
    • Unemployment is forecasted to decline from 7.5% to 6.6% between 2020 and 2021

    But the recovery is uneven.

    • Throughout the pandemic, lower-wage workers have been more likely to stop working.
    • The level of stress about job prospects is higher among women, among people in lower-income brackets and those in rural areas.
    • Low-wage workers are more uncertain of their expected income in 2021.

    Households’ financial wellbeing is affected through both labor income and inflation.

    • Despite the overall recovery, 15 % of households still reported reduction in income. 
    • In addition, rising prices undercut households’ purchasing power. 38 % of households reported difficulties in making ends meet.
    • The situation is worse for poorer households, households with all non-working members, and households headed by women.

    The outlook for households’ financial recovery relies on how fast we could control the pandemic because a prolonged pandemic will continue to have important implication on the labor market and price levels.

    • COVID-19 vaccine uptake has slowed down since the beginning of the summer and remains well below the EU average.
    • Vaccine uptake is low in poorer areas signaling widening inequality in the recovery process.
    • Rising food and energy prices will continue to hurt the poorest as these items alone take 70% of their budget. 

    The Croatia Rapid Assessment Survey was carried out in 5 rounds:

  • Methodology

    The survey is conducted over the phone with a randomly selected sample of 1,500 households. It is implemented entirely using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing to allow for faster access to the data and dissemination of results. In each survey round, households are asked a comprehensive set of questions about their knowledge and concerns about the pandemic, access to basic needs, employment and income loss, as well as their coping strategies.

    The sampling frame is based on the 2011 Census by Croatian Bureau of Statistics. The national sample was stratified by region and settlement size (up to 2000 inhabitants; 2001 to 10000 inhabitants; 10001 to 80000 inhabitants; more than 80001 inhabitants).

    RegionCounty
    ZagrebZagrebačka 
     City of Zagreb 
    Northern CroatiaKrapinsko-zagorska 
     Varaždinska
     Koprivničko-križevačka 
     Bjelovarsko-bilogorska 
     Međimurska
    SlavoniaVirovitičko-podravska 
     Požeško-slavonska 
     Brodsko-posavska 
     Osječko-baranjska 
     Vukovarsko-srijemska 
    Lika and BanovinaSisačko-moslavačka 
     Karlovačka
     Ličko-senjska 
    Istria and PrimorjePrimorsko-goranska 
     Istarska 
    DalmatiaZadarska
     Šibensko-kninska 
     Splitsko-dalmatinska 
     Dubrovačko-neretvanska 

    Croatia Rapid Assessment Survey was carried out in 5 rounds:

    The questionnaire for these survey rounds is designed to monitor trends in subjective well-being, employment, income, knowledge and concerns about the pandemic, access to basic needs, and opinions about government policies. The questionnaire has a flexible structure so that the topics can be adapted to the evolving situation in Croatia.

    Participation in the survey is voluntary, so refusal and non-response are potential concerns for sampling bias. Therefore, the sample weight is adjusted with a core set of variables including location, gender, education, and assets to benchmark the sample with the official 2019 Croatia – Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. Three reweighting methods are applied – propensity score reweighting, raking, and maximum entropy – to ensure the best match possible.

    The survey has been applied in many countries in Europe – including Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania – and around the world.

  • Questionnaires

    Household Phone Survey Questionnaires

    Questionnaire-Round1

    Questionnaire-Round2

    Questionnaire-Round3

    Questionnaire-Round4

    Questionnaire-Round5

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