Poziom świadomości konsumenckiej Polaków a poziom zadłużenia polskich gospodarstw domowych

The article discusses the level of consumer awareness in the context of growing indebtedness of Polish households. Some claim that low consumer awareness of Poles is one of the reasons for excessive indebtedness. The first part focuses on the definition of consumer awareness, its, importance for consumer choice, and – based on authors’ own research – its level in Polish society. The second part describes the incomes of Polish households from 2008 to 2010. It also shows consumers’ subjective assessment of their financial position and characterises consumer durables used in their households. The third part presents the tendency of Poles to incur debt and their punctuality of repayment. The sources of financing of consumption needs are described along with a scale of excessive indebtedness of Poles. The fourth part of the article focuses on consumer bankruptcy as a solution for the over-indebted consumers and describes current regulations on consumer bankruptcy in Polish law. The scale of their practical application is discussed in reference to Poles’ opinion on consumer bankruptcy, again based on authors’ own research. This part indicates consumer education as an effective instrument against excessive indebtedness.