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The aim of the study was to determine the structure of tap water consumption in rural households. The structure was analyzed based on direct measurements of water consumption carried out in the years 2011–2014 in 70 households in Rybna (Czernichów commune, Małopolska region). Thanks to two metering points (water supply connection and water supply point outside a residential building), it was possible to determine water consumption for the household and other purposes. The collected data indicated significant discrepancies between actual water consumption and those recommended in various guidelines. The analysis of water consumption structure showed that these discrepancies were also found for the amount of domestic sewage discharged from the rural households. This fact has significant practical implications, as the calculated metrics of unit water consumption are used during design and technical renovation of individual elements of water supply systems and for billing the inhabitants for water consumption in the households without a water meter (lump sum). The study also demonstrated inadequacy of the rule assuming that sewage amount is equal to the amount of water consumed in rural households, which is commonly used in design of sewerage networks and for calculating charges for sewage discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is determining the level of knowledge and financial skills of rural dwellers on an example of one of the European Union member states (Poland), as the factors which play a crucial role in the process of limiting the phenomenon of financial exclusion. The main source of data used for the analysis was the information gathered through the author's own studies conducted on a group of 1000 randomly chosen people. Statistical analysis of the researched material comprised the summary statistical measurements, the non-parametric X² test and the cluster analysis (k-means clustering). As results from the conducted analysis, the inhabitants of rural areas in Poland are characterized by the average level of knowledge and financial skills. The level of financial competences represented by rural dwellers is conditioned both by the economic and non-economic factors. Three groups of citizens were distinguished on the basis of the conducted investigations. The group which requires special educational measures comprises of women, elderly and less educated persons, households with lower incomes, families of annuitants and old-age pensioners, but also persons using financial tools in a lower degree, not using banking services or living in the areas with a worse access to the banking infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study characterizes behaviours of rural households on the credit market and identifies selected factors that determine and differentiate them. The main source of data used for the analysis and deduction was primary information from author's own investigation. The study was conducted on a group of 1,000 randomly selected rural households in Malopolska. As results from the investigation, almost two thirds of surveyed households repaid credit. Respondents most often repaid one loan, over 16% of people downloaded two credits. Nearly 40% of the respondents used credit cards, ¼ - a consumer credit and less than 7% of respondents paid in mortgage. Borrowers were usually younger people with tertiary education, and active on the financial market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of research is a phenomenon of prosumption, i.e., the intertwining of consumption and production processes, until the differences between them are blurred. When consumers produce goods and services for their use, they become prosumers. The article aimed to assess consumer behavior in terms of various forms of prosumer activity on the market of household-related services. The types of prosumer activity of rural households and their size were determined during the analyses. The article uses primary sources from a survey conducted among residents of rural areas of the Masovian Voivodeship in Poland in 2017. Statistical, descriptive, and comparative methods were used. The research shows that consumers are very active in the field of prosumption, rationally running their households. The study used principal component analysis (PCA) and selected descriptive statistics. The research results showed that the services performed can be grouped into three categories, i.e., the index of basic living self-sufficiency of households, the index of renovation and repair self-sufficiency, and the index of professional self-sufficiency of farms. Consumers usually prepare meals at home and clean, iron, and wash clothes, thus reducing the costs of running a household. It is also popular to carry out repairs oneself or to carry out repairs of equipment at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]