1 in 2 Romanians does not believe cash spreads coronavirus. Study by Reveal Marketing Research on Romanians’ payment habits in 2021

• 1 in 2 Romanians does not believe that cash contributes to the spread of the new coronavirus
• 63% of young professionals agree: the virus is not transmitted by cash
• One third of Romanians (33%) believe that in 2021 they will use as much cash as they used last year

Context

In 2020 people’s habits have changed significantly, from consumer habits to interactions to payment methods. To limit the spread of the new coronavirus, it is recommended to avoid using cash when making payments. Many locations encourage this practice, and card payment is preferable. In this context, Reveal Marketing Research conducted a study on Romanians’ payment habits in 2021: To what extent will they use cash and what is their perception about the spread of the virus through money? Find out the results in the following lines!

Cash and the spread of the new coronavirus. What is Romanians’ opinion?

1 in 2 Romanians does not believe at all that cash contributes to the spread of the new coronavirus. In contrast, 29% of respondents state the opposite – they are confident that cash can spread the virus. Those who are passive on this subject represent 21% of respondents.

Those who believe that the virus can be transmitted by cash are the youngest respondents – single millennials – 36%. At the opposite pole are 63% of young professionals, followed by more than half of single adults (55%) – these segments say that the use of cash does not contribute at all to the spread of the virus. Similarly, about half of modern families (49%) and half of traditional families (51%) do not expect the money to influence the transmission of the new coronavirus in any way.

Looking at the entire sample, 21% of Romanians do not express any strong opinion on this subject. The passive segments in this regard are retired seniors – 32% of them are neutral on this question, as are 22% of modern families.

Will they use their cards more for payments?

More than half of Romanians (55%) say that next year they will use less and less cash – especially educated adults and those without a partner. 67% of single adults and 63% of modern families say that in 2021 they will make fewer cash payments. Even 62% of retired seniors agree. Instead, a third of Romanians (33%) believe that they will use as much cash in the next year as they used in 220. Traditional families and young professionals are equal (about 40% in both segments) in terms of payment habits – they will use as much cash as last year. Only 2% of respondents say they will use more cash this year, and 10% selected „Don’t know” when asked about their payment habits next year.

The method used was CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) and 1011 online interviews were conducted with respondents over the age of 18, online users, on a nationally representative urban and rural sample between January 6-11, 2021. Sampling error +/- 3%. Confidence level: 95%.