Survey: Romanians favor larger government spending on health & education

More than half of Romanians (58%) are concerned about the country's economic situation, and inflation remains a central concern for one in five respondents to a survey conducted at the European level by Ipsos for ING Group in May-June 2025.

The research analyzed the main concerns of Romanians in the context of the current economic changes and the perceptions of the new challenges in the labor market.

Geopolitical tensions have changed both Romanians' priorities and their perception of the labor market. One in 2 Romanians (50%) believes that their personal financial situation is becoming more important, while 47% have more concerns related to the labor market.

Romanians, but also Europeans, pay more attention to the country of origin of the products they purchase. Just over half of Romanians (52%) choose local products over imported ones, even when these are more expensive. In addition, 42% say they choose products from the European Union over those from outside the EU. Only 35% remain neutral on this option.

Romanians would like the Government to invest more in areas essential for long-term development, the survey showed. Most opinions lean towards increasing government spending on health (79%), education and research (75%), and infrastructure (69%).

At the same time, 56% of respondents believe that additional funds should be allocated to protect the environment and combat climate change, 48% support increasing defense spending, and 47% support increasing spending on housing and renovation subsidies.

Romanians' attitudes towards defense investments are nuanced. Approximately half of the respondents believe that investments in military companies are sustainable, and a similar percentage (52%) also considers them ethical in the current uncertain geopolitical context. When it comes to financing these defense expenditures, the majority (84%) prefer that the necessary funds be obtained by reducing other types of public spending, which are less relevant at present. Only 14% of Romanians support increasing taxes, and 9% support undertaking additional public debt to obtain the necessary funds.

When it comes to the technological developments impacting the job market, more than a third of respondents (37%) fear that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to more jobs lost than created, while only 12% believe the opposite. At the same time, almost half (45%) expect AI to change their professional activity to some extent in the next 5 years, anticipating, in particular, support in delivering results faster (39%) or in taking over repetitive tasks (34%).

In their personal lives, 17% of Romanians have never heard of AI, the highest percentage recorded among the seven European countries analyzed in the study, and 30% have heard of it but have never used it. In the professional life, the percentages are similar (13%, 33% respectively), but a slightly higher trend of use has been observed. Romanians who frequently use AI are in the minority, with very low percentages. On average, the level of interaction is low and occasional.