The impact of poverty as a risk factor for social exclusion and employability in Slovakia

Facts about respondents of the questionnaire Number of students: 50 Age of students: from 17 to 19. We compared final results of this questionnaire with real facts and information in Slovakia. We made charts to show what students think about Slovak poverty and what the real facts are.

2. Perception of poverty

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia According to the European Commission report „Poverty and Social Exclusion“ published in 2010: Slovaks think that poverty has strongly increased 25% of Slovaks think that one person in three is poor, 26% think that one in five is poor and 24% think that one in ten is poor

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Most people have an inherent sense of what it means to be poor. But choosing a definition is much trickier. Is poverty an absolute or relative condition? What is a decent standard of living? Poverty means different things in different countries even within the European Union. 30% of Slovaks think that people live in poverty if their resources are so limited that they can not participate fully in the life of the society the live in. 25% of Slovaks think that people live in poverty if they have less that national poverty threshold per month to live on.

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Slovakia is the part of Europe which is one of the richest areas in the world, yet around 84 million Europeans (17% of the total population) live below the poverty line, and many face serious obstacles in accessing employment, education, housing, social services and financial services.

3. Why do people live in need?

4. What do you think that our Slovak government is doing?

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Most often, those affected by poverty are children, the elderly, families with more than three children, single parents and the handicapped – one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Health care is free but quality must be paid for. For many single or divorced mothers - another group who often faces serious problems - one of their common realities is that the father does not pay child maintenance.

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Slovakia provides families with several types of cash benefits in addition to regular maternity and parental leave payments. However, the efficiency of these benefits is often questioned as the country’s fertility rate is relatively low. As for Slovakia, there is a tax credit which enables parents to deduct more than 250 euros from their yearly income tax for every child up until the age of 25. Many people think that the Slovak government should do more about people in need.

5. To what extent are the following sectors affected by poverty in Slovakia?

6. To what extent are the following groups of people affected by poverty in Slovakia?

7. What items the following groups of people living in Slovakia do not have and can´t afford ?

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia All in all we can say that living in poverty in Slovakia can mean: becoming isolated from family and friends; lacking hope lacking information about the supports and services available to you; having problems in getting your basic needs met and accessing decent housing, health services and schools and life long learning opportunities; living in poor environmental conditions or in a remote and isolated rural area; going without very basic necessities because you may not be able to afford essential utilities like heat and electricity or to buy healthy food or new clothing or to use public transport; being unable to afford to buy medicines or visit the dentist; living from day to day with no savings or reserves for times of crisis such as losing a job or falling ill and thus falling into debt; being exploited and forced into illegal situations; being unable to participate in normal social life such as going to the pub or cinema or sports events or visiting friends or buying birthday presents for family members.

8. What factors prevent people from doing social activities

9. How often do poor people go without these items because of shortage of money?

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia The only leisure activity with higher participation among the poor is television watching: 22% of the poor watch TV more than 5 hours of daily, compared to 8% of the non-poor.

12. Main reason of unemployment

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Unemployment rate in Slovakia is around 12,40 % (October 2014, tradingeconomics.com)

Statistics about poverty in Slovakia Slovakia: Unemployment rate by sex and age UnemploymentUnemployment25 years25 yearsUnemployment less thanUnemployment less thanand overand overUnemployed 25 yearsUnemployed 25 years TotalTotalMenMenWomenWomen Slovakia: Unemployment Alarming statistics: Slovakia has the third worst youth unemployment rates in the EU (visegradrevue.eu, 2013) Unemployment less than 25 years: 33,4% Unemployment 25 years and over: 12,4

10. What factors will influence you when you choose a job?

11. Important items in a job

Thanks for attention