George Simion, the leader of far-right opposition party AUR, ranks first in Romanians’ trust in political figures, followed by president Nicușor Dan and Liberal (PNL) prime minister Ilie Bolojan, according to the latest INSCOP Research barometer released on Tuesday, March 10. The survey also showed Simion leading the ranking of political notoriety, although the gap with Dan and Bolojan is very small.

Roughly 34.3% of respondents in the poll said they have a lot or quite a lot of trust in George Simion. He is followed by Nicușor Dan with 27.6% and Ilie Bolojan with 25.1%.

Former prime minister Victor Ponta ranks fourth in the trust ranking with 20.9%, ahead of Bucharest mayor Ciprian Ciucu with 15.7%, and Timișoara mayor and USR leader Dominic Fritz with 14.9%. The list continues with Social Democratic Party (PSD) president Sorin Grindeanu at 12% and AUR’s Dan Dungaciu at 7.8%.

“Trust in leaders such as Ciprian Ciucu, Dominic Fritz, Dan Dungaciu and, to some extent, Sorin Grindeanu is also affected by their lower level of notoriety,” reads the survey.

In terms of notoriety, George Simion also ranks first, with 98.8% of respondents saying they have heard of him. President Dan follows closely with 98.6%, while prime minister Bolojan has a notoriety level of 98.2%. 

Ponta is next with 97.8%, followed by Sorin Grindeanu with 82.7%. Ciprian Ciucu has a notoriety level of 63.1%, Fritz 59%, while 25% of respondents say they have heard of Dungaciu.

The INSCOP survey was conducted between March 2 and March 6, 2026, using CATI telephone interviews on a stratified sample of 1,100 respondents. The sample is representative of Romania’s non-institutionalized population aged 18 and over, with a margin of error of ±3% at a 95% confidence level.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo sources: Inquam Photos/Codrin Unici, Gov.ro, Facebook/Nicusor Dan)