Nearly half of Romanians believe their country’s army would not be able to resist for 48 hours in the event of an attack, according to a new Avangarde poll quoted by News.ro. The survey also showed that most respondents see little risk of Russian aggression.
According to the poll, 49% of respondents said the Romanian Army lacks the capacity to withstand a 48-hour assault, as outlined in NATO defense guidelines, while 35% said it could, and 16% did not know or declined to answer.
At the same time, 58% of respondents said the danger of Russia intentionally attacking Romania is “small” or “very small,” while only 4% viewed the threat as “very high” and 29% as “high.”
The survey also found that 58% of Romanians support NATO’s call for increased defense spending among member states, including Romania, while 30% oppose the idea. When asked about reinstating mandatory military service, 48% said it would not be a good idea, compared to 43% who said it would.
Regarding drone incursions into Romanian airspace, 44% of respondents said such drones should “definitely” be shot down, 41% said it should depend on the situation, while 8% opposed taking such action.
Meanwhile, public confidence in the government’s handling of national defense remains low, with 58% saying the government is managing defense policy poorly, and only 22% expressing approval.
On the question of whether Romania should send troops to defend Moldova if attacked by Russia, 55% opposed the idea, 28% supported it, and 17% were undecided.
The Avangarde survey, titled “Perceptions of the Capabilities of the Romanian Army,” was conducted by telephone between October 6 and 10 among 920 respondents. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
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