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The aim of this research is to identify factors affecting the propensity of rural households to save, on the example of 100 entities in Central Pomerania, based on pilot studies (direct questionnaire technique) using the logistic regression model. The study assumes that the dependent variable is the occurrence of savings in the household in 2018. The selection of independent variables for the logistic regression model was made on the basis of literature studies. The results of the analysis confirmed that statistically significant parameters for the variables were: average monthly net income per one person in the household, diversification of the income sources and the share of expenses on food and non-alcoholic beverages in total household consumption expenditure. The first two parameters increase the probability of saving by rural households of Central Pomerania. The last of these parameters reduces the chance of deferring consumption through savings.

Biomass is a major source of renewable energy in the EU and Poland, stimulating the growth of the wood pellet sector. Wood pellet demand is stimulated by a complex interaction of market forces and policies including EU climate, energy, and environmental regulations, Poland’s program to improve air quality, and subsidies for the replacement of inefficient stoves used by households. This article focuses on the growth of the wood pellet industry, imports and exports in Poland, and wood pellet quality and use by households. The main issues faced by the EU wood pellet sector between 2013 and 2016 are further considered in the context of opinions of Polish wood pellet manufacturers. Industry opinions were collected in response to an open-ended question that probed for the main issues faced by wood pellet producers during the survey implemented by the authors in 2019. Respondents identified difficulties in obtaining raw material for pellet production and poor pellet quality as major problems. Although the majority did not feel concerned about competition from imported wood pellets, a small number of respondents viewed such competition as a problem reflecting the reversal of decreasing imports in 2017. Overall, the domestic wood pellet industry can be expected to grow because of increasing pressure to expand the use of renewable energy and will be driven by the household sector switching to more efficient, wood burning stoves. Additionally, the expanding area of private Polish forests may become a source of much-needed raw material for wood pellet manufacturing.

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]