Survey: Four out of ten Romanians say their incomes have decreased in last year
More than four out of ten Romanians said their incomes have decreased in the last 12 months, while a similar percentage say they remained at the same level, according to the “NewMoney.ro Economic Sentiment Index – INSCOP” survey.
Survey data showed that only 10.9% of Romanians say their incomes have increased over the past year. In contrast, 45.4% said they have remained at the same level, while 41.1% say they have decreased. The share of non-responses is 2.6%.
According to the research, those who reported that their incomes have increased above the average are USR voters, people aged between 18 and 44, and employees in the private sector. On the other hand, PSD voters, people over 60, and residents of Bucharest report income decreases above the average.
When asked how they believe their family income will evolve over the next six months, 11.5% of respondents said it will increase, 41.6% believe it will remain at the same level, and 37.7% expect a decrease. Another 9.2% did not know or did not want to answer.
More optimistic expectations than average were held by PSD voters, men, people under 30, and private sector employees. In contrast, AUR voters, women, people with primary education, residents of small towns, and public sector employees expected a greater decrease in income.
The same survey revealed that nearly 85% of respondents anticipate further price increases. According to the survey, 84.5% of those questioned believe that prices will rise in the next six months. Only 8.5% expect them to remain stable, while 3.8% estimate they will decrease. The percentage of non-responses is 3.1%.
AUR voters, people aged between 30 and 44, and public sector employees anticipate price increases above the average. In contrast, PNL voters, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest are more likely to believe that prices will remain stable. PSD voters are the category that most expect price decreases above the sample average.
The data from the “NewMoney.ro Economic Sentiment Index – INSCOP” study were collected between June 2–8, 2026, using the CATI method (telephone interviews), on a sample of 1,100 people aged 18 and over. The maximum margin of error is ±3%, at a 95% confidence level.
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