Survey: 70% of Romanians have relatives abroad, more than a decade ago

Nearly 70% of Romanians say they have relatives abroad, an increase from 10 years ago, according to a recent INSCOP survey. Twenty percent say their relatives from abroad send them money.

A total of 69% of Romanians say they have relatives abroad (compared to 51.8% in June 2013), while 31% say they do not. Those more likely to have relatives abroad include people with primary education, residents of small urban areas, and those from Eastern regions or South-West Oltenia.

Furthermore, 68.1% of respondents believe that Romanians abroad significantly contribute to the living standards in Romania. The percentage of those who think Romanians abroad should have the right to vote in Romanian elections increased from 74.9% in June 2013 to 84.4% currently, according to an INSCOP survey commissioned by News.ro.

A total of 19.7% of those with relatives abroad say they receive money from them (compared to 38.1% in June 2013), while 80.1% do not (compared to 60.6% in June 2013). Socio-demographic analysis indicates that young people under 30, potentially active non-workers, and rural residents are more likely than other population categories to say their relatives abroad send them money.

“Given the increase in the last 10 years in the proportion of Romanians who say they have relatives abroad, there's been a significant rise in those who believe Romanians abroad greatly contribute to the living standards of Romanians in the country, even though the percentage who say their relatives abroad send them money has decreased since 2013. These latest figures probably reflect a change in the relationship between those who went abroad for work and those remaining at home, in the context of reduced financial pressures from relatives in Romania for those working in other countries,” said Remus Ştefureac, director of INSCOP Research.

According to the head of the surveying company, data shows that hostility to the diaspora, once promoted in the Romanian public space, has lost significant traction, lacking public opinion support.

The opinion poll was conducted by INSCOP Research for News.ro. Data was collected from November 20-27, through CATI (telephone interviews) using a questionnaire. The sample volume, simple and stratified, is 1,100 people, representative of significant socio-demographic categories (sex, age, occupation) for Romania's non-institutionalized population aged 18 and over.

(Photo source: radub85 |