Loss of job or “in case of”. Why do Poles save?

75% of savings are accumulated as security in the event of unexpected expenses or loss of sources of income. Poles – according to the BIG InfoMonitor study. Another 18 percent are collecting money for retirement, and 15 percent for medical and health purposes.

From the 75% group building a buffer for unforeseen circumstances 44 percent accumulates funds to protect themselves against unexpected expenses, and 31 percent in the event of loss of source of income. These are the most frequently mentioned reasons for saving money in the study, and 12 percent it did not have a specific purpose for its savings.

Respondents also indicated that they save money for recreation or travel (17%). As the authors of the publication noted, expenses for this purpose are “one of the most variable elements in household budgets”, they are susceptible to external economic factors, e.g. rising costs of living. “Holidays are becoming a luxury that Poles are most willing to give up first. Despite this, the desire to rest remains strong. In 2025, the average budget for holidays planned by Poles was approximately PLN 4,400 per household,” said the authors of the report.

The study also shows that 32 percent respondents had to dip into their savings in the last six months to finance basic needs. Most often, they were used to purchase food products (12%), finance fixed fees, e.g. for electricity (11%), or medical services (11%). “These results constitute a serious warning signal about the real strength of inflationary pressure and the rising cost of living,” the authors of the study believe.

Chief analyst of BIG InfoMonitor, Ph.D. Waldemar Rogowski, assessed that this result proves “a deep erosion of purchasing power and a constant fight for financial liquidity.” “This is no longer classic saving for a rainy day, but a disturbing trend of saving the current budget. The growing interest in collecting funds for health purposes also emphasizes that Poles are increasingly afraid not only of loss of income, but also of the inability to pay for necessary medical care, which is often expensive in the private sector. Long-term,” said Rogowski.

The study “The scale and goals of accumulating savings by Poles” was conducted for BIG InfoMonitor Quality Watch using the CAWI method on a sample of 1,098 adult Poles on June 27-29, 2025. (PAP)

jls/mmu/