Survey finds more residents in favor of cash handouts than e-consumption

A recent survey conducted by the General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macao (UGAMM) found that a large majority of the residents surveyed would prefer that the upcoming new round of support measures for the whole population include a cash handout.

According to the release from the UGAMM, almost 89% of the 1,028 respondents to the survey were in favor of a cash handout forming part of the government’s new round of economic relief measures, announced to comprise a total of 10 billion patacas.

Measures to support consumption such as the electronic consumption (e-consumption) vouchers that have been used on several occasions since 2020 came second on the list of ordered preferences of the residents surveyed, with more than 77% saying that this would also be a preferred method.

Analyzing the survey results, a director of the UGAMM, Cheng Song Meng, said that, according to the survey, a measure that would include a combined cash handout, as well as a consumption benefit, would be the most likely to satisfy the desires of the local residents.

The survey also questioned the respondents regarding their feelings about the current prices of goods and services, as well as their current incomes in comparison with the pre-pandemic period. Around 90% of the respondents said that the prices of consumer goods and services had increased significantly, while over 50% of the same respondents indicated that their income had declined over the past almost three years.