A majority of Lithuanians identify themselves as middle class, but many believe they would need to earn substantially more to feel financially comfortable, according to a new survey commissioned by Swedbank.
The survey found that 57% of respondents consider themselves part of the middle class, up 2 percentage points from a year earlier.
Despite that increase, respondents who identified as middle class said they would like to earn, on average, 50% more than they currently do, while overall satisfaction with their incomes has declined.
“Most people who identify as middle class can meet their daily needs without major difficulties. However, that does not necessarily mean they feel complete financial comfort,” Jūratė Cvilikienė, head of Swedbank’s Finance Institute, said in a statement.
Respondents who identified themselves as belonging to the lower middle class said they would like to earn 71% more than they currently do. Those who considered themselves part of the upper middle class or the elite said they would like incomes to be 34% higher, while respondents who described themselves as having low incomes said they would need 91% more.
