Poll: Most young Romanians see French troops as security boost, but half unaware of their presence in the country

Nearly two-thirds of young Romanians believe the French military presence contributes significantly to Romania’s security, according to an INSCOP Research survey commissioned by the French Embassy. However, half of those questioned did not know that French troops were stationed in the country.

The poll found that 64.7% of respondents aged 18 to 30 believed France’s military presence contributed to Romania’s security to a large extent. By contrast, 31.9% considered its contribution limited, while 3.5% did not answer.

Only 9.6% said they knew French military personnel were present in Romania and were reasonably familiar with the subject. Another 39.3% were aware of the troops but knew little about their presence, while 50.4% had not known about it.

“The results are very interesting to us because they allow us to better understand perceptions of our activity in Romania and adjust our communication accordingly,” French ambassador Nicolas Warnery said.

“Our objective is to make our daily defense activities in Romania better known. We want our work to be more visible, accessible, and closer to Romanians.”

The broader relationship between the two countries was viewed positively by 86.3% of participants, including 16.9% who described it as very good. Another 10.8% evaluated bilateral relations negatively.

According to the same poll, France was also considered a reliable NATO ally by 80.2% of respondents. A further 15.9% disagreed with the statement that Romania could rely on France in the event of a security threat.

Young respondents most frequently associated France’s presence in Romania with culture, mentioned by 32.8%. Economy and investment followed with 26.6%, education and research with 24.1%, security and defense with 23.5%, and diplomacy with 22.5%.

“Relations between Romania and France benefit from a solid foundation of trust among young Romanians,” INSCOP Research director Remus Ștefureac said. “France is perceived as a credible NATO ally, but there is a gap between the high level of trust and the limited level of information regarding the presence of French troops in Romania.”

INSCOP conducted the telephone survey between September 8 and 24 among 1,000 Romanian residents aged 18 to 30. It has a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.