{"id":5997,"date":"2025-07-22T09:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=5997"},"modified":"2025-07-22T09:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:01:10","slug":"survey-finds-nostalgia-for-communism-remains-strong-in-romania-many-recall-it-as-a-better-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=5997","title":{"rendered":"Survey finds nostalgia for communism remains strong in Romania, many recall it as a better time"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than half of Romanians believe the communist regime was more of a good thing for Romania, with nearly 56% saying more positive than negative developments occurred under communism. The finding comes from a new INSCOP Research survey<\/a> commissioned by the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER), shedding light on the enduring nostalgia for the regime of Nicolae Ceau\u0219escu.<\/p>\n

The poll, conducted between June 25 and July 3, also shows that 66.2% of respondents believe Ceau\u0219escu was a good leader for Romania. Only 24.1% consider him a bad leader. The view is especially widespread among older Romanians, those with primary education, residents of rural areas, and people with lower incomes.<\/p>\n

When asked whether life was better under communism than today, nearly half of respondents (48.4%) said yes, compared to 34.7% who said it was worse. Meanwhile, 65.1% believe there was less corruption under communism than there is now, and 75.1% think public safety was better before 1989.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the issue of freedom, however, the contrast is stark: 80.9% said there was less freedom under the communist regime.<\/p>\n

Remus \u0218tefureac, director of INSCOP Research, warns that nostalgia for communism stems not only from perceptions of the past but also from frustration with the present. “This longing reflects structural discontent – inequality, corruption, and pessimism about the future – and acts as a coping mechanism. [\u2026] But it’s also fueled by disinformation and manipulation, both from internal populist forces and foreign actors aiming to destabilize democratic systems,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He called for urgent public policies to address these issues, along with more robust education about the realities of the communist era.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Daniel \u0218andru, executive president of IICCMER, went further, describing communist nostalgia as a national security issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We are one step away from a catastrophic scenario,” he said, noting that the danger lies in inaction. “We need a memory pedagogy that leaves academic circles and reaches communities, families, and digital platforms where today’s beliefs are formed.”<\/p>\n

Despite the harsh realities of daily life during communism, such as rationing, travel restrictions, and censorship, many Romanians still view the past through a lens of idealized memory. Some 85.1% believe food was healthier under communism, and 66.4% think the state took better care of its citizens. The efficiency of state institutions is another area where the past is favored: 58.7% say they functioned better before 1989.<\/p>\n

Education and healthcare are also perceived to have been more accessible during communism. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%) say quality education was easier to obtain, and 48.6% believe healthcare services were more accessible. On economic output, 68.5% say Romania produced more goods and services before 1989 than it does today.<\/p>\n

In cultural terms, the communist period is seen in a surprisingly positive light. About 75% of respondents say Romanian films were better under communism, 58% prefer the entertainment shows from that era, and over 71% believe the music was of higher quality. A strong 71.3% believe Romania has lost its cultural identity in recent decades.<\/p>\n

Yet awareness of the regime’s darker chapters is widespread. More than 94% acknowledge that basic foodstuffs were rationed, 92.1% have heard about travel restrictions, and over 95% know that television was available for only a few hours a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some 82% are aware that hundreds of thousands of Romanians were tortured or killed in communist prisons, though only 59.2% explicitly say the regime was responsible for those crimes. Just 14.3% believe those responsible were held accountable in court.<\/p>\n

When it comes to information sources, 41.2% of respondents rely primarily on television, followed by social media (22.8%) and news websites (20.3%). Younger people, those living in cities, and those with higher education are more likely to rely on digital platforms, while older and less-educated respondents tend to favor TV.<\/p>\n

Interest in the communist period remains mixed. While 14.3% of respondents are very interested in that part of history, nearly 40% say they are not interested at all. Those most engaged tend to be men, younger people, university graduates, and residents of Bucharest with higher incomes.<\/p>\n

In terms of how people learn about communism, 34.8% say they lived through it, 14.2% rely on information from family members, and only 7% learned about it in school. Documentaries and books are cited by just 5.4%, and a mere 0.4% say they got their information from social media.<\/p>\n

Public perception also includes views on Romania’s global standing. Nearly three-quarters (73.2%) of respondents think Romania was more respected internationally before 1989, and 77.2% believe the country was wealthier.<\/p>\n

Despite such idealized views, the vast majority (88.6%) believe it’s true that international travel was restricted under communism, and over 83% agree that people were forced to take jobs assigned to them after graduation, even if far from home.<\/p>\n

Still, only 57.8% believe that political parties in Romania today promote pro-communist messages – a sign that, for most, this nostalgia has not yet translated into broad political action.<\/p>\n

The study surveyed 1,100 people aged 18 and over, representative across key socio-demographic categories, with a margin of error of \u00b12.95%.<\/p>\n

irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0Inquam Photos \/\u00a0Octav\u00a0Ganea<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than half of Romanians believe the communist regime was more of a good thing for Romania, with nearly 56% saying more positive than negative developments occurred under communism. The finding comes from a new INSCOP Research survey commissioned by the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5997\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}