Three in four Romanians believe country is moving in the wrong direction

More than three-quarters (76%) of Romanians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, while only 19% think it is moving in the right direction, according to a nationwide opinion poll conducted by CURS in January and cited by G4media.ro.

If parliamentary elections were held next Sunday, AUR would rank first with 35% of the vote. PSD would follow with 23%, ahead of PNL at 18%. USR is credited with 10%, while UDMR and SOS Romania would each obtain 5%, the poll showed.

According to CURS, former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu is viewed positively by 36% of respondents, while 60% hold a negative opinion. AUR leader George Simion and president Nicușor Dan record similar trust levels, at 32% and 31% respectively, both facing distrust rates exceeding 60%.

The survey also indicated that Liberal prime minister Ilie Bolojan and PSD president Sorin Grindeanu face high rejection levels of over 70%. SOS Romania leader Diana Șoșoacă registers the highest level of distrust, at 80%.

“In the case of figures such as Dominic Fritz and Anamaria Gavrilă, a significant level of public unfamiliarity is noted, indicating limited national visibility. Overall, the data reflects a crisis of confidence in political leadership,” CURS said in a statement.

Among institutions, the Army, the Church, and the Fire Department enjoy the highest levels of trust, with positive ratings between 61% and 80%. The Police and the European Union slightly exceed the 50% threshold.

At the opposite end, political and judicial institutions are evaluated predominantly negatively. Parliament and the Judiciary are rejected by 75% of respondents, the Government and the Constitutional Court by 73%, and the Presidency by 67%.

Expectations for 2026 are largely pessimistic. Some 63% of respondents believe their economic situation and standard of living will worsen compared to 2025, while 29% expect stagnation. Only 7% anticipate an improvement, and 1% have no clear opinion, indicating a near-total lack of economic optimism, the authors note.

On foreign policy, 56% of respondents say they would vote in favour of reunification with the Republic of Moldova in a potential referendum, a scenario publicly supported by Moldovan president Maia Sandu. A total of 37% would vote against, while 7% are undecided.

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