Survey: Over half of Romanians say EU membership does not limit national independence

A new opinion poll by INSCOP Research shows that most Romanians believe membership in the European Union does not excessively restrict the country’s independence, though a significant minority disagrees.

According to the survey, conducted between August 4 and 10 for the think tank Polithink, 52.4% of respondents said EU membership does not overly limit Romania’s independence, while 38.1% felt it does.

Skepticism about EU membership was more common among supporters of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the nationalist AUR party, people aged 45 to 59, and public sector employees.

Those who said the EU does not limit Romania’s independence were more likely to be supporters of the Liberal Party (PNL) and USR, university graduates, residents of Bucharest, and people with lower incomes.

“These findings confirm the pro-Western orientation of the majority of Romania’s population,” said Remus Ștefureac, director of INSCOP Research. “At the same time, internal ideological currents, whether genuine or echoing the subversive narratives of powers hostile to the EU, influence how Romanians view the balance between national and European authority.”

The results are part of a broader study on Romanians’ views of foreign policy and the digitalization of public services, to be presented on September 9 at the inaugural Statecraft Lab organized by Polithink, according to the press release.

The survey was carried out using CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) with a sample of 1,107 adults, representative of Romania’s non-institutionalized population over 18. The margin of error is ±2.95% at a 95% confidence level.

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