Consumer rights and consumer organizations in Slovakia

Transcription

1 Special Eurobarometer European Commission Consumer rights and consumer organizations in Slovakia Fieldwork March - April 2006 Publication June 2006 Special Eurobarometer 256 / Wave 65.7 TNS Opinion & Social This survey was requested by Directorate General HEALTH AND CONSUMER PROTECTION and coordinated by Directorate General COMMUNICATION This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction Which transactions cause most frequent problems to consumers? How do consumers resolve problem situations? Awareness of consumer rights Do Slovak citizens know their consumer rights? Do Slovak citizens want to be more informed about their consumer rights? Slovaks trust in justice Consumer rights in Slovakia and in the European Union Organisations dealing with consumer protection Where would Slovak citizens seek information about consumer rights? What sources do Slovak citizens trust to give them information on consumer rights? Awareness of consumer protection organisations ZSS - Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association) Would Slovak citizens be willing to support an independent consumer protection organisation? TEST Magazine Selection Error Table

3 Introduction A survey focusing on consumer rights was carried out in Slovakia from 29 March to 12 April It was performed by the TNS Opinion & Social consortium in the context of a long-term Eurobarometer research project. Data were collected and the survey was evaluated by TNS AISA Slovakia agency. The survey was conducted using a representative sample of 1,000 Slovak citizens aged 15 and above, who answered questions on a series of themes: Problem situations when buying goods and services - experience, possible solutions Awareness about consumer rights Awareness about and use of consumer protection organisations The goal of the study is to enable measuring the effects of an information campaign being carried out by the European Union. The campaign is planned for May - December 2006 and is to focus on consumer rights in Slovakia. In the first wave of the survey, the results of which are presented in this report, the public s awareness of consumer rights before the information campaign took place was measured. It could have been expected that the Slovak population s awareness about consumer rights would be at a low level, as would its awareness about organizations dealing with consumer protection and its declared willingness to support such organisations. The campaign has a target group of year old, urban citizens with secondary or higher education. Conclusions are therefore presented for the entire population and for socio-demographic categories, if relevant differences have been recorded in this respect

4 1. Problems people face when they shop and how they resolve these problems 1.1. Which transactions cause most frequent problems to consumers? The majority of respondents (68%) have not not recently encountered problems with the selected transactions, however 19% have done so. We must note, that probably several respondents have not encountered these problems since they have not purchased products or services from the suppliers in question. Respondents tended to have problems with insurance companies and fixed telephone and/or mobile phone companies most frequently. Problems with buying on the Internet, tour operators/travel agencies and airlines or charter flight companies were less often cited. (see Chart Q1). Q1 Have you recently had any problems with...? (N=1019) Yes No Not relevant DK Insurance companies Fix telephone and\ or mobile phone companies 11% 10% 88% 89% Shops selling household devices (washing machine, etc.) Buying from salesmen at the door Shops selling computers\ electronic devices 8% 7% 7% 91% 90% 92% Consumer credit providers (shops or banks) 5% 92% Buying on the Internet or from a mail order catalogue Tour operators\ Travel agencies 91% 95% 5% Airlines or charter flight companies 94% 5% - 3 -

5 A review of respondent subcategories will show the following differences: - Problems with insurance companies were encountered more frequently by people aged (15%); by those who completed their education at the age of 20 and more (17%); the self-employed (20%); other white collar workers (17%) and respondents in Eastern Slovakia (15%). On the other hand, problems were encountered less frequently by respondents in Bratislava (4%); respondents with lower levels of education (3%) and, not surprisingly, by young people under 24 years of age (3%) and students (4%). - Problems with fixed telephone and/or mobile phone companies were encountered most frequently by respondents in Eastern Slovakia (15%) and least frequently in Bratislava (4%). - Problems with shops selling appliances were again encountered most frequently by respondents in Eastern Slovakia (11%) and least frequently in Bratislava (1%) and by young people under 24 (2%) and students (0%). - Problems with buying from salesmen at the door were encountered most frequently by respondents with lower levels of education (17%) and least frequently by those, who completed their education at 20+ (2%) and by respondents in bigger cities (2%), including Bratislava (0%). - Problems with shops selling computers or electronic devices were, of course, encountered more frequently by self-employed people (14%), and least frequently by retired people (2%). - Problems with tour operators/travel agencies were again encountered more frequently by self-employed people (5%) and managers (5%). - Problems with consumer credit providers, with buying on the Internet or from a mail order catalogue or problems with airlines/charter flight companies were encountered by all the monitored sub-categories with approximately the same frequency. The previous analysis shows that Eastern Slovaks have encountered problems more frequently than Slovaks from other regions. It is important to note that Eastern Slovakia is the less developed Slovak region regarding services and retail. It is therefore likely that consumers from this region face more problems in comparison to other regions. Presumably, the lower the level of services development in a locality or region is, the lower consumers satisfaction can be expected

6 1.2. How do consumers resolve problem situations? Consumers, who encounter any of the problems mentioned above, resolve the situation most frequently by complaining in the shop (57%), however, they often seek information about their rights (39%) or ask advice from friends and/or family (36%). Only very few customers ask for help from a consumer association (6%). The respondents were allowed to choose multiple ways of resolving problem situations. Q2 In general, what do you do when this happens to you? (N=330) You complain in the shop You seek information about your rights You ask advice from friends and\ or family You consult a lawyer You file an official complaint (court, authorities) You do nothing in particular You ask help from a consumer association DK 1% 11% 8% 7% 6% 39% 36% 57% The option of making a complaint directly in the shop was selected most often by respondents who live in a household with 4 and more members (65%) and by students (80%). Right-wing oriented voters (52%) seek information about their rights more often. Older people ask advice from friends and/or family more frequently respondents aged 55+ (48%) and retired people (50%). Respondents from Eastern Slovakia (11%) seek help from a consumer association slightly more frequently (11%). In regard to the option of filing an official complaint or consulting a lawyer, there were no differences identified in the subgroups of respondents surveyed. The tendency to do nothing is observed more often amongst young people under aged 24 and less (15%) and respondents living in a household with 3 members (9%). Given the small number of respondents who answered this question (N=330), the results for subgroups should only be considered for the purposes of information

7 2. Awareness of consumer rights 2.1. Do Slovak citizens know their consumer rights? 24% of respondents say they believe they know their consumer rights very well or fairly well in almost every situation (in 5 out of 6 situations mentioned). On the other hand, 19% of respondents admit not to know their rights in any of the situations. Q3 Do you think that you know (very well or fairly well) your rights as a consumer in each of the following situations? (N=1019) 25% 19% 24% 32% Knows their rights in 5-6 possible problem situations Knows their rights in 3-4 possible problem situations Knows their rights in 1-2 possible problem situations Does not know their rights in any of the enquired situations In 5 out of 6 situations, their consumer rights are known most frequently by: Those who completed their education at age 20+ (41%), Self-employed people (41%) and managers (38%) and other white-collar workers (32%) Respondents in big cities (36%) Respondents aged (30%) People whose political orientation is to the centre or the right (29% and 31%) On the other hand, the following groups tend not to know their rights in any of the situations surveyed: Respondents with lower levels of education (40%) Retired people (34%) and respondents aged 55+ (28%) Students (30%) Respondents from households with only one member (32%) - 6 -

8 Respondents are most often familiar with their rights when they buy electronic or household devices and when they have problems with their telephone bill. On the other hand, only about one-quarter were aware of their rights when they buy on the Internet or from a mail order catalogue or when they buy a ticket for a flight. Q3 Do you think that you know your rights as a consumer in each of the following situations? (N=1019) Yes, very w ell Yes, fairly w ell No, hardly No, not at all DK When an electronic or household device you just bought does not work properly 19% 54% 19% 6% When you have a problem with your phone bill 15% 52% 25% 7% When taking out a credit to make a major purchase (car, washing machine, etc.) 11% 44% 33% 11% When you take a package holiday trip 8% 33% 37% 16% 6% When you buy on the Internet or from a mail catalogue 5% 21% 36% 28% 10% When you have bought a ticket for a flight 5% 18% 34% 31% 12% The following subgroups of respondents know (very well or fairly well) their consumer rights in the situation when an electronic or household device they just bought does not work properly: Respondents aged (80%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (81%) or those aged (77%) Self-employed people (89%), managers (87%) and other white-collar workers (84%) People whose political views tend towards the centre (80%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend less frequently to know their rights (very well or fairly well): People with lower levels of education (51%) Retired people (57%) and people aged 55+ (62%) Respondents from households with only one member (53%) Students (62%) - 7 -

9 When asked about their rights in situations when they have problems with their telephone bill, the following subcategories tend to know (very well of fairly well) more frequently: Self-employed people (87%), managers (78%) and other white-collar workers (77%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (80%), Respondents aged (74%) and (72%) Respondents in the Western Slovakia (72%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights least frequently: People with lower levels of education (40%) Retired people (53%) and people aged 55+ (58%) Students (53%) and young people under 24 (60%) Respondents from households with only one member (56%) When asked to consider their rights in situations when taking out a credit to make a major purchase, the following subcategories tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights: Again, self-employed people (79%), managers (71%) and other whitecollar workers (73%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (69%) or those aged (60%) Respondents aged (66%) and (64%) Men (60%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights least frequently: Students (25%) and young people under 24 (41%) People with lower levels of education (30%) Retired people (36%) and people aged 55+ (43%) Respondents from households with only one member (38%) Women (50%) - 8 -

10 Considering their rights in situations when they take a package holiday trip, the following subcategories know (very well of fairly well) their rights more frequently: Self-employed people (62%) and other white-collar workers (55%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (58%), Respondents from big cities (59%), e.g. Bratislava (57%) Respondents aged (47%) People whose political orientation is towards the centre (49%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights least frequently: People with lower levels of education (20%) Retired people (22%) and people aged 55+ (26%) Respondents from households with only one member (24%) People from rural areas (36%) When asked about their rights in situations when they buy on the Internet or from a mail order catalogue, the following subcategories tend to know most frequently (very well or fairly well) their rights: Self-employed people (42%) and managers (41%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (42%) Respondents in big cities (40%) Respondents aged (33%) People whose political orientation is towards the centre (32%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights least frequently: People with lower levels of education (3%) Retired people (15%) and people aged 55+ (16%) People from Central Slovakia (20%) People from rural areas (21%) - 9 -

11 When asked in respect of their rights in situations when buying a ticket for a flight, the following subcategories tend to most frequently know (very well or fairly well) their rights: Self-employed people (41%) and other white-collar workers (29%) Those who completed their education at 20+ (36%), Respondents from big cities (40%), including Bratislava (34%) People from the political right (31%) On the other hand, the following subgroups tend to know (very well or fairly well) their rights least frequently: People with lower levels of education (2%) Retired people (12%) and people aged 55+ (17%) People from the political left (17%) People from rural areas (17%)

12 2.2. Do Slovak citizens want to be more informed about their consumer rights? In general, people are interested in knowing more about their rights. Between 49% and 78% of respondents made this claim, depending on the situation. Q4 Would you be interested in knowing more about your rights? (N=1019) Yes, very interested Yes, fairly interested No, fairly not interested No, not at all interested DK When an electronic or household device you just bought does not work properly 30% 48% 16% 5% When taking out a credit to make a major purchase (car, washing machine, etc.) 27% 45% 20% 6% When you take a package holiday trip 23% 40% 25% 11% When you have a problem with your phone bill 21% 51% 22% 6% When you buy on the Internet or from a mail catalogue 18% 35% 25% 19% When you have bought a ticket for a flight 17% 32% 28% 20% Generally, it can be said that the highest interest in learning something about their consumer rights can be seen in young people under 39 years of age and in people with higher levels of education (i.e. those who completed their education at the age of 20 or later)

13 2.3. Slovaks trust in justice Respondents generally don t trust the Slovak justice to be efficient in punishing businesses which treat consumers unfairly. Q5B In general, would you say that the (NATIONALITY) justice is efficient in punishing people that cheat consumers? (N=1019) 49% 30% 3% 2% 16% Very efficient Fairly efficient Fairly inefficient Not at all efficient DK 2.4. Consumer rights in Slovakia and in the European Union More than 40% of people think that as Slovak citizens, they have less consumer rights than citizens of other EU states. Q5a As a (NATIONALITY) citizen, would you say that you have more, less or the same consumer rights as citizens of other European Union countries? (N=1019) 7% 1% 49% 42% More Less The same DK Almost half of the respondents think they have the same rights as citizens of other EU countries. This opinion is held in particular by: Young people under 24 (56%) and students (61%) People whose political orientation is to the right (58%) Respondents from big cities, including Bratislava (39%) and people older than 55 (40%) declare more frequently than other categories that Slovak citizens do not have the same rights in comparison to citizens from other EU countries

14 48% of other white-collar workers believe Slovaks have less consumer rights than other European nations. On the contrary, this opinion is held by only 28% of people from the self-employed group. However, it has to be noted that the divide existing in opinions of Slovaks when it comes to the question of the perception of their consumer rights is presumably related to transformation period of the Slovak society. In fact, Slovaks have a negative experience with their consumer rights from the past. Additionally, an in-depth social dialogue on consumer rights started to be discussed only recently in Slovakia and Slovaks generally do not believe that the new rules in terms of consumer rights are already sufficiently implemented in every-day life. Consequently, it seems that considerable proportion of Slovaks tend to perceive consumer rights in Western European countries as being on a much higher level

15 3. Organisations dealing with consumer protection 3.1. Where would Slovak citizens seek information about consumer rights? The majority of consumers would seek information about their consumer rights from their friends and/or relatives and from independent consumer associations. Q6 From the following list, where would you go for information or advice about your consumer rights? (N=1019) Friends and\ or relatives A consumer association\ magazine Shopkeepers Law yers The European Union information office in Slovakia The Gov ernment Other DK 1% 4% 4% 11% 32% 35% 40% 43% Compared to the entire population, those who would go for information or advice about their consumer rights more frequently to a consumer association or a magazine are: Those who completed their education at 20+ (58%), People whose political orientation is to the right (49%) Managers (60%) Respondents from small and middle-sized cities (46%) and from Bratislava (55%)

16 In this question, the respondents vary the most in terms of the age at which they completed their education and in terms of their place of residence, as may be seen from the charts below. Q6 From the following list, where would you go for information or advice about your consumer rights? (N=1019) Friends and\ or relatives A consumer association\ magazine Shopkeepers Lawyers The European Union information office in Slovakia The Government Other DK 38% 39% 35% 39% 15% 27% 34% 38% 33% 27% 39% 32% 21% 19% 13% 11% 5% 0% 1% 1% 5% 4% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 5% 4% 57% 59% 58% Student Education completed at 20+ (N=177) Education completed at (N=601) Education completed under 15 (N=91) Q6 From the following list, where would you go for information or advice about your consumer rights? (N=1019) A consumer association\ magazine Friends and\ or relatives Lawyers The European Union information office in Slovakia Shopkeepers The Government Others DK 8% 10% 0% 1% 2% 6% 4% 4% 3% 2% 4% 48% 46% 34% 47% 37% 46% 42% 33% 28% 27% 24% 43% 33% Lives in a big city (N=103) Lives in a small or middlesized city (N=363) Lives in a rural area or village (N=

17 3.2. What sources do Slovak citizens trust to give them information on consumer rights? The majority of respondents place most trust in independent consumer associations, friends/relatives and lawyers. Q7 Who of the following would you trust the most to give you correct information and advice on your consumer rights? (N=1019) A consumer association\ magazine Friends and\ or relatives Lawyers Shopkeepers The European Union information office in Slovakia The Government Others DK 1% 3% 8% 8% 9% 22% 21% 29% In comparison with the general population, those who completed their education at the age of 20+ (41%) and respondents from small and middle-sized cities (35%) and from Bratislava (39%) have more trust in the information from consumer associations and consumer magazines. The EU information office is trusted more by students (17%) and by young people under 24 (13%), as well as by respondents from big cities (17%), including Bratislava (19%)

18 Also, in this question, the most variation occurs between respondents in terms of the age at which they completed their education and in terms of their residence, as may be seen in the charts below. Q7 Who of the following would you trust the most to give you correct information and advice on your consumer rights? (N=1019) Friends and\ or relatives Lawyers A consumer association\ magazine The European Union information office in Slovakia Shopkeepers The Government Others DK Student Education completed at 20+ (N=177) Education completed at (N=601) Education completed under 15 (N=177) Q7 Who of the following would you trust the most to give you correct information and advice on your consumer rights? (N=1019) A consumer association\ magazine Lawyers Friends and\ or relatives The European Union information office in Slovakia Shopkeepers The Government Others DK Lives in a big city (N=130) Lives in a small or middlesized city (N=363) Lives in a rural area or village (N=504)

19 3.3. Awareness of consumer protection organisations Out of the consumer protection organisations, the most spontaneously recognized organization is ZSS Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association) (named spontaneously by 31% of respondents), followed by the Fórum spotrebiteľov (Consumers Forum) (18%). Regionálne združenie spotrebiteľov (Regional Consumers Association) (10%), Spoločnosť spotrebiteľov potravín (Society of Foodstuff Consumers) (9%), A3S Asociácia spotrebiteľských subjektov Slovenska (Association of Slovak Consumer Entities) (8%), Spotrebiteľská informačná agentúra (Slovak Information Agency) (5%) are less well known. In general, the respondents who completed their education at 20+ have a better knowledge of these organisations. As much as 40% of respondents say they do not know of any such organisations. With regard to recognition with a hint (recognized if asked), the highest values were again obtained for the ZSS Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association), followed by Fórum spotrebiteľov (Consumers Forum), as can be seen from the chart below. As in the case of spontaneous recognition, those who completed their education at 20+, followed by managers and the self-employed are the most aware of all the associations dealing with consumer protection

20 Q8b2 Have you ever heard of? (N=1019) Yes No ZSS Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov 45% 55% Fórum Spotrebiteľov 34% 66% Regionálne združenie spotrebiteľov 19% 81% Spoločnosť spotrebiteľov potravín 17% 83% Spotrebiteľská informačná agentúra 15% 85% A3S Asociácia spotrebiteľských subjektov Slovenska 14% 86% As might be expected, in comparison with the general population, the group of respondents not knowing about any of the cited organisations includes more: People with lower levels of education (69%) Retired people (43%) Students (49%) Young people under 24 (41%) Respondents from rural areas (39%) Q8B2 Awareness about organisations protecting consumers (N=1019) 2% 3% 4% Knows all the enquired organisations Knows 5/6 of the organisations 34% 12% Knows 4/6 of organisations Knows 3/6 of organisations 21% Knows 2/6 of organisations Knows 1/6 of organisations 24% Knows none of the enquired organisations

21 3.4. ZSS - Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association) Most of the respondents have heard about the Slovak Consumers Association on TV. In particular, these were retired people (75%) and people in rural areas (66%). Q9_2 Where did you hear about ZSS? (N=456) On TV In the Press On the radio On the Internet From friends and\ or relatives Other DK 7% 4% 4% 2% 10% 17% 57% However, only 8% of those surveyed have ever contacted this organisation for advice. Q10_2 Did you ever ask ZSS for information or advice? (N=456) 3% 8% Yes No DK 89%

22 Those respondents who have requested information or advice from ZSS generally evaluate the association positively in terms of the monitored characteristics. However, these results should be considered merely for the purposes of information as only a small number of respondents answered these questions. The majority of respondents (67%), who know the ZSS at least when asked (with a hint), would recommend their relatives or friends to ask this organisation for advice. 23% out of them would definitely recommend ZSS. It would not be recommended by 8% of the respondents. Q12_2 Would you encourage your friends or relatives to ask ZSS for information and\ or advice? (N=456, know ZSS when asked) 26% 23% Yes, definitely 1% 7% Yes, probably No, probably not No, definitely not DK 44%

23 3.5. Would Slovak citizens be willing to support an independent consumer protection organisation? Overall, Slovak citizens are not enthusiastic about supporting an independent consumer protection organisation. Most frequently, Slovak respondents would be willing to support an independent organisation protecting consumers by giving a certain percentage from their taxes. Q13 Would you be w illing to support an independent consumer association by? (N=1019) Yes No DK Giving this association a percentage of your taxes instead of paying them to the 26% 70% 5% 15% 80% 5% Paying an annual membership fee 11% 86% 4% Giving a certain percentage of their taxes would be preferred the most by managers (43%) and other white-collar workers (34%), the political right (33%) and by respondents from small and medium-sized cities (31%). The self-employed (24%), managers (26%) and respondents from big cities (23%) would be more willing to give a financial donation they would be able to deduct from their income taxes. More than one-third of respondents would be willing to support an independent organisation with at least one of these options. Q13 Willingness to support an independent organisation to protect consumers (N=1019) 64% 36% By at least one of the options By none of the options

24 3.6. TEST Magazine 23% of respondents would be willing to subscribe to the TEST consumer magazine, as shown in its Czech edition. Q14 Would you be interested to subscribe to the following (nonprofit) consumer magazine? (TEST)? (N=1019) 9% 23% Yes No DK 69% The respondents would most frequently include: Those who completed their education at 20+ (34%), The self-employed (37%) Other white-collar workers (30%) Respondents from big cities (33%), including Bratislava (31%) Respondents aged (29%) More than 40% of respondents would be interested in various types of consumer magazines. Q15a,b,c Would you be interested in a consumer magazine that gives you...? (N=1019) Yes No DK information on safety of food and non-food products, on health..., 47% 47% 6% information about your rights\ advice on insurance, bank services 41% 54% 5% results of independent comparative tests of quality and price of products 40% 54% 6%

25 40% of respondents would be interested in a consumer magazine that gives results of independent comparative tests of quality and price of products (household and electronic devices, laundry detergents, food products, etc.). The respondents would include the most frequently (as was the case for the question above): residents of big cities (54%), including Bratislava (51%); respondents from small and middle-sized cities (50%); those who completed their education at 20+ (53%); the political right (49%); the self-employed (54%); other white-collar workers (49%); respondents aged (48%). A consumer magazine that gives information about consumer s rights\ advice on insurance, bank services, travel or real estate would be of most interest to respondents from big cities (55%), including Bratislava (55%); to respondents from small and middle-sized cities (50%); to those who completed their education at 20+ (52%); to the political right-wing (52%); to the selfemployed (55%); managers (56%) and respondents aged (48%). And, lastly, a consumer magazine that gives information on safety of food and non-food products, on health, health care and nutrition would be of most interest to: respondents from big cities (68%), including Bratislava (60%); respondents from small and middle-sized cities (56%); from Central Slovakia (55%); for those who completed their education at 20+ (59%); managers (63%); respondents from four-member and bigger households (52%) and for women (52%)

26 Conclusions This is the first time a survey on consumer rights has been carried out in Slovakia. This is the baseline for subsequent measurements which will be made in order to identify impacts of the information campaign on the awareness of citizens about their consumer rights. The basic findings can be summarised as follows: The results confirmed expectations that the awareness of Slovaks about their consumer rights is low. It is not surprising that, relatively speaking, the best informed are the better educated people doing intellectual work and young and middle-aged people. The little experience with enforcement of their consumer rights can be seen from the fact that almost two-thirds of Slovaks have never encountered any of the selected problems when they buy things (or perhaps they have not purchased them) and that the majority of those who had to solve a problem decided most often to complain in the shop, or to seek advice and information about their rights from their friends and relatives. This is evidence that people are not familiar with information sources and not used to working with them, and that the tradition of oral recommendation and references still persists in Slovak society. A positive finding is that a large majority of citizens is interested in learning more about their consumer rights in almost every field covered, and, in particular, in the fields that are used most frequently. A significant part of Slovaks do not perceive their consumer rights equal in comparison to other EU countries. A high proportion of respondents (42%) think they have less consumer rights than citizens in other EU countries (in comparison to 49% who think their rights are the same as those of other EU countries citizens). This attitude is strongly related to the extremely low levels of trust that Slovaks have in their national justice system as regards its effectiveness in punishing businesses which do not respect consumers rights

27 Although only a slight proportion of people who had to solve a problem concerning the quality of service or goods, asked Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association), consumer associations or magazines for help or advice, the consumer associations are considered to be the most trustworthy source of information for consumers. Most Slovaks would recommend ZSS as a source of information to their friends. The awareness about entities operating in Slovakia in the field of the protection of consumer rights is relatively good thanks to TV. ZSS - Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov (Slovak Consumers Association) and Fórum spotrebiteľov (Consumers Forum) are the best known to people. No entity in particular is known to people with lower levels of education, to older people and people from rural areas, all of whom tend to be less active in seeking information, as well as to young people because of their limited negative consumer experiences so far. A notable part of the Slovak population is prepared to give financial support to an independent consumer organisation by giving this as a percentage of their taxes instead of paying them to the government. They are however not the majority of the Slovak population. Although over 40 % are interested in consumer magazines, subscribing to the TEST magazine is an attractive option for 23%. The current situation as regards awareness of consumer rights among Slovak citizens requires more efforts, in particular as regards the promotion of information sources. The relative openness of Slovaks in knowing more about their consumer rights offers a good basis for the planned information campaign

28 Selection Error Table Reliability interval: Sample size Percentage of answers: % 3% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% % 4.7% 6.0% 8.3% 9.9% 11.1% 12.0% 12.7% 13.2% 13.6% 13.8% 13.9% % 3.3% 4.3% 5.9% 7.0% 7.8% 8.5% 9.0% 9.3% 9.6% 9.8% 9.8% % 2.7% 3.5% 4.8% 5.7% 6.4% 6.9% 7.3% 7.6% 7.8% 8.0% 8.0% % 2.4% 3.0% 4.2% 4.9% 5.5% 6.0% 6.4% 6.6% 6.8% 6.9% 6.9% % 2.1% 2.7% 3.7% 4.4% 5.0% 5.4% 5.7% 5.9% 6.1% 6.2% 6.2% % 1.9% 2.5% 3.4% 4.0% 4.5% 4.9% 5.2% 5.4% 5.5% 5.6% 5.7% % 1.8% 2.3% 3.1% 3.7% 4.2% 4.5% 4.8% 5.0% 5.1% 5.2% 5.2% % 1.7% 2.1% 2.9% 3.5% 3.9% 4.2% 4.5% 4.7% 4.8% 4.9% 4.9% % 1.6% 2.0% 2.8% 3.3% 3.7% 4.0% 4.2% 4.4% 4.5% 4.6% 4.6% % 1.5% 1.9% 2.6% 3.1% 3.5% 3.8% 4.0% 4.2% 4.3% 4.4% 4.4% % 1.4% 1.8% 2.5% 3.0% 3.3% 3.6% 3.8% 4.0% 4.1% 4.2% 4.2% % 1.4% 1.7% 2.4% 2.9% 3.2% 3.5% 3.7% 3.8% 3.9% 4.0% 4.0% % 1.3% 1.7% 2.3% 2.7% 3.1% 3.3% 3.5% 3.7% 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% % 1.3% 1.6% 2.2% 2.6% 3.0% 3.2% 3.4% 3.5% 3.6% 3.7% 3.7% % 1.2% 1.6% 2.1% 2.6% 2.9% 3.1% 3.3% 3.4% 3.5% 3.6% 3.6% % 1.2% 1.5% 2.1% 2.5% 2.8% 3.0% 3.2% 3.3% 3.4% 3.4% 3.5% % 1.1% 1.5% 2.0% 2.4% 2.7% 2.9% 3.1% 3.2% 3.3% 3.3% 3.4% % 1.1% 1.4% 2.0% 2.3% 2.6% 2.8% 3.0% 3.1% 3.2% 3.3% 3.3% % 1.1% 1.4% 1.9% 2.3% 2.5% 2.8% 2.9% 3.0% 3.1% 3.2% 3.2% % 1.1% 1.4% 1.9% 2.2% 2.5% 2.7% 2.8% 3.0% 3.0% 3.1% 3.1%