Croatians say people have become angrier, more short-tempered and selfish

A question on Reddit about what had become much worse in Croatia over the past five years produced a wave of blunt answers about daily life. The most popular comments focused not on prices or housing, which the questioner had asked users to avoid, but on the way people behave.

“People have become angry. Not necessarily angry, somehow short-tempered. They have lost their sense, become ruder, more selfish and more embittered,” one highly rated comment said. Others described a general culture of grumbling and impatience, with everyone wanting everything immediately and putting themselves first.

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People have become angry. Not necessarily angry, somehow short-tempered. They have lost their sense, become ruder, more selfish and more embittered.

Some users blamed economic pressure. One commenter said rising prices had not been matched by wages, leaving people more irritable. Living standards might look better on paper, the user wrote, but life had previously felt better and more relaxed despite people having less.

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Pressure from rising prices, while our wages do not keep up. That makes people even more irritable.

The complaints extended to the quality of everyday life. Users said cafés and fast-food restaurants that once stayed open until three or four in the morning now often closed at midnight. The disappearance of all-night shops was also lamented.

Environmental damage, especially along the coast, drew serious concern. Commenters pointed to uncontrolled construction of villas and apartments, more boat moorings and growing marine pollution. Other frequently cited problems included juvenile violence, lower-quality restaurant food, poorer public transport, slower trains and stronger far-right extremism in public life.

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Cafés and fast-food places normally stayed open until three or four before corona, now everything closes at midnight. We have become a very sterile country.