Eight in ten Portuguese are worried about energy prices, while 77% express concern about fuel costs, according to the 20th edition of the Barometer on poverty and economic precariousness, conducted by Secours Populaire Français. Portugal shows levels of concern above the European average regarding fuels, although 68% of Portuguese consider energy expenses high, a value below the European average of 75%.
The burden of energy and fuel expenses is forcing many families to make difficult choices. More than one in three Europeans, 38%, say they have given up important expenses, such as food or healthcare, to pay energy bills in the last 12 months. In Portugal, this situation is reported by 28% of respondents, while in Moldova it reaches 68% and in Greece 62%. Fuel expenses also forced 34% of Europeans to sacrifice other important expenses.
To reduce bills, 68% of Europeans adopted at least one measure in the last year. The most common strategies are turning off heating in some rooms of the house, mentioned by 52% of Europeans and 57% of Portuguese, limiting temperature to below 18 degrees, indicated by 41% of Europeans and 38% of Portuguese, and stopping using certain appliances, such as oven or washing machine, pointed out by 41% of Europeans and 40% of Portuguese. In Portugal, 33% also say they started taking fewer showers or cold showers.
The study covered 10,000 people aged 18 or over in 10 countries, with interviews conducted online between May 26 and July 6, 2025. Seven in 10 Europeans consider that access to affordable energy is today worse than for their parents' generation, and 74% of European parents who could not maintain adequate temperature report negative consequences for their children, something particularly felt in Greece, Moldova and Portugal.
