Inflation sits at the Easter table, and 6 out of 10 Romanians will cut from this year’s shopping cart

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 212

The latest study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to find out more details about how Romanians prepare for the Easter holidays in 2026 and to what extent their behaviors and needs have changed compared to similar studies conducted in 2024 and 2025.

• 85% of Romanians will spend Easter at home, with their families – the highest percentage recorded in the last 3 years, and 76% plan to go to the Resurrection service.
• Easter meal 2026, under the pressure of inflation: 42% will allocate a larger budget than in 2025 (+2% vs. 2025), 31% will reduce the budget (+10% vs. 2025) and 27% will spend similarly (-12% vs. 2025).
• Easter gifts, constantly decreasing: the number of Romanians who intend to give gifts decreases for the third consecutive year: 67% (2024) → 58% (2025) → 55% (2026).

85% of Romanians will spend Easter at home, with their family – the highest percentage recorded in the last 3 years.

According to the results of the study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research, Romanians have predominantly positive  feelings in anticipation of the Easter holidays (75%), the most often mentioned being well-being (25%), happiness and enthusiasm (17%) and contentment and gratitude (11%). The distribution of the feeling of tranquility has decreased significantly, from 17% in 2025 to 10% today.

85% of Romanians are going  to spend Easter at home, with their family – the highest percentage recorded in the last 3 years (compared to 79% in both 2025 and 2024). This trend suggests that, in the face of economic pressures, Romanians are retreating towards the family nucleus, giving up other forms of leisure.  However, representatives of Generation Z (18-24 years old) differentiate themselves by choosing to a significantly greater extent the option of going out to restaurants (27% compared to 9% of the total sample).

The habit of fasting  remains practiced by about half of Romanians: 12% keep all fasting, 17% only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 16% only on Holy Week.

How Romanians justify a more austere Easter: less consumption, more tradition.

48% of Romanians say they have noticed changes in the way they celebrate Easter in recent years.

The main reasons for the changes declared in 2026 are the search for a more authentic and deep way of celebrating, away from the commercial hustle and bustle (40% compared to 28% in 2025), a more minimalist and eco-friendly approach, to avoid excessive consumption (26% compared to 20% in 2025) and the shift from a traditional to a more modern one (24% compared to 35% in 2025).

Regarding the significance of Easter for Romanians, most of them emphasize traditions and customs (37%). On the other hand, 28% believe that Easter is more about connecting and communicating with loved ones, and for 25% it is more about a balanced combination of traditions and rituals and connecting with loved ones.

Budget and shopping: 6 out of 10 Romanians will put less on the Easter table this year

31% of Romanians will reduce the budget allocated to Easter (compared to 21% in 2025), and 27% will spend a similar amount to last year (compared to 39% in 2025). Depending on gender, women feel financial pressure more acutely, with 35% of them saying they will reduce the budget allocated to Easter, compared to 27% of men.

“Three years of consecutive data tell us the same thing: Romanians celebrate Easter with more and more financial caution. What is new in 2026 is the speed of change – the 10% increase in those who will reduce their budget in a single year is a signal that we cannot ignore”, says Marius Luican, General Manager of Reveal Marketing Research.

On the other hand, 42% of Romanians say they will allocate a larger budget compared to 2025 (compared to 40% in 2025), this increase reflects the adjustment to inflation rather than an intention for increased consumption.

Moreover, the number of Romanians who intend to give Easter gifts continues to decrease, reaching 55% in 2026 (compared to 58% in 2025 and 67% in 2024). The recipients of gifts remain unchanged: children (59%), life partner (57%) and parents (40%).

Economic and political uncertainty influences Easter planning for 81% of Romanians in 2026, the main concrete reaction to this pressure being the trend of saving and reducing precautionary spending, which registers a significant increase of 12% compared to last year (64% compared to 52% in 2025).

As for the estimated budget for the Easter mini-vacation, 47% of Romanians expect to spend between 500 -1500 lei, 36% under 500 lei, and 13% will allocate larger amounts, between 1500 – 3000 lei.

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About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in more than 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 17 years.

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 212: Reveal Market Resources is a data hub that includes free studies given to publicity, with the aim of supporting the marketing and communication market in Romania.

Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between 1-5.04.2026 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, from urban and rural areas. The sample size was 1005 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.