Most Romanians think positively about foreign investors, study says
Almost 68% of Romanians say they would like the level of foreign direct investment in Romania to increase (versus 15% who would like to see fewer foreign investors), according to a poll "on the population's attitude regarding economic patriotism and the vulnerabilities of the democratic regime," conducted by INSCOP at the behest of the Concordia Employers' Confederation.
"The study shows that Romanians view companies as an engine of stability and progress. It is the right time to capitalize on this openness and lay the foundations for a healthy economy that works for the benefit of all," commented Radu Burnete, executive director of the Concordia Employers' Confederation.
The study also shows that over 60% of those surveyed have a good opinion about Romanian companies investing in other countries, while 30% have a bad opinion.
"61% of Romanians have a good opinion about the investments of Romanian companies in other countries. We see that young people are the most enthusiastic about this perspective," said Remus Ştefureac, president of INSCOP.
However, the results of the poll are mixed, spot several misinterpretations, and arguably reveal a certain level of support given to isolationist and etatist tendencies.
Some 46% of those polled said that the government should prioritise support given to Romanian companies (even at the cost of discouraging foreign investors). But interestingly, "Romanian companies" are perceived to be those companies that pay taxes in Romania. Furthermore, 56% of those polled believe Romania would be better off with more state-owned than private companies (as opposed to 39% opting for more private companies).
The disapproval rate for foreign investors is relatively low at 18.3% for the "EU companies" but rises to 24.6% when "multinational" companies are mentioned (while the approval rate exceeds 70% in both cases).
Surprisingly, 29.6% of those polled think negatively of Romanian companies investing abroad. The disapproval rate is negatively correlated with the perceived income, education, and urbanization (wealthier individuals in urban areas with higher education think positively). The disapproval rate drops to 12% when it comes to Romanian companies "expanding in the European Union" (as compared to "investing abroad.”)
The poll also revealed that 89.7% support Romania's Nato and EU membership (versus 6.4% who opt for exit), despite a large majority of them (66.3%) saying that Romania "is moving in the wrong direction" (which thus is rather associated with domestic drivers rather than the country's membership to Nato or EU).
Regarding how much Romania's EU membership impacts the country's sovereignty, however, only 51.6% opted for "not too much" versus 40.6% believing the impact is too strong. A large majority of 80.7% believe Romania should be more active in negotiating its position as a member of the European Union.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Wanida Prapan/Dreamstime.com)
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