A vast majority of Romanians believe their country should remain firmly aligned with the West through the European Union, the United States, and NATO, according to a new opinion poll released by INSCOP Research on Tuesday, September 9.
The survey found that 78.9% of respondents favor Romania’s political and military orientation towards Western alliances, while only 7.8% said the country should look East, toward Russia and China. Another 13.3% did not respond or were undecided.
The poll, conducted between August 4 and 10 on a representative sample of 1,107 adults, also showed overwhelming support for EU and NATO membership. Some 83.3% of respondents evaluated EU membership positively, while 83.7% voiced the same about NATO. Negative views were expressed by 12.4% and 11.7%, respectively.
Support for the West was strongest among voters of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and reformist Save Romania Union (USR), older citizens over 60, university graduates, and high-income earners. By contrast, skepticism toward Brussels and calls for a more nationalistic approach were more common among supporters of the Social Democrats (PSD) and the far-right AUR, lower-income groups, and state employees.
The survey also found strong backing for asserting national interests within the EU framework: 84.6% of Romanians agreed that the country should defend its priorities even if this risks losing some benefits of membership. In addition, 65.7% said member states should have more decision-making power at the expense of EU institutions, while 24.4% disagreed.
When asked about Romania’s role globally, 88% said the country should play a more active part on the international stage. At the same time, 38.1% felt EU membership limited national independence too much, though 52.4% rejected that view.
The poll, commissioned by think tank Polithink, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.95% and a confidence level of 95%.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Fotografescu/Dreamstime.com)
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