Public Attitudes in Romania: Staying in the West With Some Doubts

Romanian society is very supportive of the country’s place in the Western alliance while expressing some doubts about the policies of the EU and NATO. Support for Romania’s membership in these institutions fell during the COVID-years but recovered swiftly after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Regardless, Romanian society is sending mixed signals on the war in their east. In the GLOBSEC Trends 2024 poll, 55% of respondents in Romania picked Russia as the primary culprit for the war in Ukraine, which was 10 percentage points lower than in 2023. Narratives circulating in Romania about the alleged treatment of the Romanian minority in Ukraine and anti-Ukraine messages have led to a notable increase in the proportion of locals pinning the blame for the war on Ukraine itself.
A high proportion of Romanian respondents see democracy as a concept based on equality, the rule of law and human rights positively, but – even after significant improvements over 2022 – still less than 50% of the population is satisfied how their democracy works in practice. Moreover, only 40% of Romanian respondents agreed that the rights of the LGBTI community should be guaranteed.
The most positive social group regarding the rights of this minority was the youngest age group (18 to 34 years of age), among whom 51% agreed with this statement. What makes the views of Romania’s youth very interesting is that they were also the most likely to say that a totalitarian regime without regular elections would be good for their country and the least likely to identify the far right as a threat to their identity and values. This indicates that moderate, democratic forces need to do more for Romanian youth to counter the sway of extremist forces in the country.
It must be highlighted that – as in all Central and Eastern European countries – trust is key: Those who trust public institutions are much more likely to back pro-West stances; for instance regarding the EU or Ukraine.
For more information on Romanian society’s views on geopolitics, Ukraine and democracy, see the study below!