{"id":2959,"date":"2025-01-22T17:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/?p=2959"},"modified":"2025-02-13T19:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T16:35:08","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/eng\/news\/baltic_states_pension_systems\/","title":{"rendered":"How fakes turn Eurostat statistics into a horror story about poor pensioners","raw":"How fakes turn Eurostat statistics into a horror story about poor pensioners"},"content":{"rendered":"

On January 21, 2025, the SBTB channel aired a piece titled “How Do Pensioners Live in Belarus and the Baltic States? A Political Scientist Compares.” Alexey Belyaev, the dean of the Faculty of Journalism at Belarusian State University, shared his thoughts on the lives of pensioners in the Baltic countries:<\/p>\n

Regarding pensions for retirees, I would like to share some interesting figures. Just recently, Eurostat published data on how retirees feel, for example, in the Baltic countries. So, I can tell you that in the Baltic states, between 40% and 55% of retirees are working. The main reason cited in social surveys for why they work is that their pensions are insufficient for a comfortable life. In other words, more than half, or about half, of retirees work there because they cannot afford to live otherwise.<\/p>\n

In our case, many retirees work not necessarily for financial reasons, not because they are struggling. Extra money is always welcome, of course, but for many, the motivation is different. They work because they find it difficult to be without a job. These are people from the old Soviet generation; they are used to being part of society. They need social interaction, they need… a sense of their own significance. They go to work primarily to boost their self-esteem. This is their main motivation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our verdict based on the conducted analyses:<\/p>\n

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Verdict: Incorrect<\/h2>\n

\"\"Reasons:<\/p>\n