Half of the Romanians answering a survey by IRES are pessimistic about what 2023 will bring. A total of 51% believe 2023 will be worse for the country than 2022, 24% think it will be the same, while another 24% believe this year will be better.

The respondents with a lower education level, and those who say they would vote for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) or the National Liberal Party (PNL) if elections were organized next Sunday are more optimistic, the survey authors explain. The pessimists are among the active population and those who have not yet decided who to vote for in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

When asked to evaluate their living standard for 2023, 48% of the respondents expect 2023 to be worse than 2022. A little over a quarter (26%) believe it will be the same. The young respondents and those who vote for PNL are more optimistic about their financial status this year, while low-income earners, those aged between 51 and 65, voters of AUR and those who haven't yet decided who to vote for are more pessimistic. 

When asked what they would like to see changing in Romania this year politics-wise, the respondents frequently pointed to systemic changes. For instance, a complete change of the political class, the Government, or the ruling parties or the Parliament, the survey found.

A total of 48% of those surveyed were aware that the PM job would go to PSD this year, according to the protocol of the ruling coalition. Men, those aged over 51, respondents with higher education, and PSD voters were better informed of this.

The survey also showed that more than half of those surveyed do not believe Romania is in danger of being attacked by Russia, while 43% believe the opposite. Men, educated respondents and those with higher revenues perceive this danger as being lower, while those less educated and with lower revenues as higher.

The survey was carried out between December 7 and December 12 2022, among 1,615 respondents aged over 18. It has an error margin of 2.5%.

The results of the survey are available here.

(Photo: Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com