Prague, Nov 2 (CTK) – Most Czechs aged over 45 years (62 percent) save money for their old age because they believe they cannot rely only on the pension they will receive from the state, daily Pravo wrote Monday, citing a poll conducted by Ipsos agency.
However, middle-aged people in the Czech Republic believe that they can live off the state pension after retirement more often than those in other European countries, the paper writes.
The poll showed that one fifth of the people do not think about the financial prospect of their old age and one out of seven believe they will be able to make ends meet with the state pension.
Moreover, many of those who save money for old age regularly save only small sums, Pravo writes.
The poll, which was conducted among 525 people aged 45 to 65 years, showed that women, university graduates and people from large towns tend to save money for their old age more often than others.
If people needed assistance in their old age, one fourth of them expect their children to help, the same number expect to move to an old people´s home or a similar institution providing care, and one out of ten would use the services of assistants who would visit them at home.
Women rather than men and people with low education rather than university graduates expect the children to help, the poll showed.
One third of the middle-aged Czechs did not know how they would deal with the situation.
A majority of the people fear health problems and diseases in old age most of all. This troubles men more often than women. Women are most afraid of their dignity not being respected when they get old. Other fears concerned poverty, loneliness, loss of their home and loss of their loved ones, Pravo writes.
The Czech Social Security Administration (CSSZ) registers over 2.3 million old-age pensioners in the 10.5 million country.
People aged over 65 years form 18 percent of the Czech population, while five years ago they formed 15 percent, according to the Czech Statistical Office (CSU). The Share “Europe 50+” survey indicated that they would form 25 percent by 2030, the paper writes.
The average pension of 10,714 crowns per month amounts to 41.5 percent of the gross monthly pay this year, while next year it is to be 40.5 percent.
