Study shows almost half of people of African descent in Portugal have great difficulty paying expenses

Nearly half of citizens of African descent in Portugal (48%) surveyed in a European study published this Wednesday expressed great difficulty paying expenses, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights said.

The percentage for this indicator was 45% in Spain, in Italy – 42%, in Belgium and France – 33% and in Sweden – 32%. The lowest values ​​were found in Poland and Denmark (9%) and Finland (13%).

According to the same source, rising energy prices and the cost of living have increased the level of energy poverty in Europe.

“In 2022, the number of Europeans who did not have the financial means to keep their homes adequately heated increased to more than 40 million (9.3% of the population),” the report said, adding that people of African descent were equally likely (14% ), like the population as a whole (7%), will not be able to afford to keep their homes warm.

The highest shares were recorded in Spain (34%), Portugal (25%) and Italy (18%). The lowest is in Poland (2%), Sweden (4%) and Denmark (5%).

The presenters analyzed responses from more than 6,700 people of African descent living in 13 European Union (EU) member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

On average, 17% of respondents live in homes with leaking roofs, walls, floors or foundations, mold and damp, or poorly maintained window frames. This figure is higher than the rate for the general population (15%).

“These poor conditions are more common among people of African descent living in Portugal, and less noticeable in Sweden (3%) and Poland (1%),” the report authors said. “This may be due to the very high percentage of people of African descent living in social or public housing in Sweden (64%) and the high percentage of respondents living in owned properties in Poland (36%), most of whom do not have a mortgage,” they admitted.

In terms of the discrimination these people experience, overall, almost half of respondents of African descent (47%) felt discriminated against for one or more reasons in the five years preceding the survey, and more than a third (36%) felt broken. in the year preceding the survey.

The highest levels were recorded in Austria (67% in the 12 months preceding the survey and 76% in the previous five years) and Germany (65% and 77% respectively). Respondents in Portugal, Poland and Sweden (13) recorded the lowest levels of discrimination for any reason in both periods.

The religious profile of respondents varied across the 13 countries. Respondents of African descent are predominantly Christian in countries such as Ireland (82%) and Portugal (78%), and predominantly Muslim in other countries such as Sweden (79%) and Spain (47%).

In terms of the education system, Portugal was one of the countries that experienced the least amount of discrimination.

“Globally, about one in five respondents (18%) who had contact with educational institutions felt racially discriminated against in this environment in the five years preceding the survey. About one in eight respondents (13%) felt the same way during the year. According to recent experience (12 months prior to the survey), the highest proportions are observed in Germany (37%) and Austria (32%), and the lowest in Poland and Portugal (2% in both countries).” , the researchers emphasized.