Romania: Majority of Voters Would Go for Nationalist Party Supporting Traditional Family

Jerusalem, 28 June, 2021 (TPS) -- Bucharest, June 28 /Agerpres/TPS – More than 59% of the respondents to an INSCOP poll would vote for a nationalist party that promotes religious values and supports the traditional family, however, about two-thirds would not support such a party if it promoted Romania’s withdrawal from the European Union, the rapprochement with Russia or the restriction of the national minorities’ rights.

The opinion poll ‘Public distrust: West vs. East, the rise of the nationalist current in the age of misinformation and fake news phenomenon’ – Part II was conducted by INSCOP Research in partnership with Verifield upon the commission of the Strategic Thinking Group think tank, as part of a research project supported by The German Marshal Fund of the United States and funded by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation through the True Story Project. The opinion poll conducted between June 1 and 15 is divided into three chapters, the second being dedicated to measuring the willingness of Romanians to vote for a nationalist party, as well as their adherence to a number of elements pertaining to the Eurosceptic and nationalist agenda.

Thus, when asked if they would vote for a nationalist party that promotes religious values and supports the traditional family, 59.5% said yes and 34.8% said no.

Furthermore, of those who responded that they would support a nationalist party that promotes religious values and the traditional family:

        – 61% said that they would not vote for such a party if it proposed measures and policies that could trigger Romania’s withdrawal from the European Union;

        – 75% said that they would not vote for such a party, if it proposed Romania’s rapprochement with Russia;

        – 70% stated that they would no longer vote for such a party, if it proposed restricting the rights of national minorities.

‘The percentage of those who believe that Romania must defend its national interests even if it risks losing its EU membership status remains similar to that resulting from the March research (64%). The interpretation of this massive population group as followers of nationalist options should be nuanced. Sociological research included a filter question through which we exclusively measured the opinion of this group, and the results show that two thirds of them, although supporters of the defense of national interests, believe that Romania’s exit from the European Union would affect national interests. The apparent dissonance highlights the fact that the majority of Romanians consider that, if the rest of the European countries pursue their own national interests, it is legitimate for Romanians to want the same thing for their country. However, there is a clear rational awareness that leaving the EU would affect national interests and that the country’s economic development has the best prospects within the Union,’ said Strategic Thinking Group president Remus Stefureac.

        Other findings of the poll are as follows:

        * 64.8% of respondents were of the opinion that Romania must defend its national interests when they disagree with the rules of the European Union, even if it risks losing its position as an EU member state. On the other hand, 28% were of the opinion that Romania, as a member state, must respect EU rules, even when national interests are affected.

        * 64.5% were of the opinion that Romania’s exit from the EU would affect the national interests of the country (the percentage represents approximately 42% of the total population). 29.4% appreciated that Romania’s exit from the European Union would not affect the national interests of the country (the percentage represents approximately 19% of the total population).

        * 62.9% appreciated that, in the future, Romania would develop better economically if it were inside the European Union, while 27% considered that Romania would develop better economically if it were outside the EU.

        * As regards Romania’s national interests: 32.6% indicated the development of the economy; 24% – strengthening Romania’s role in the EU; 11.9% – the development of transport infrastructure; 7.7% – the protection of vulnerable population groups; 6.8% – the strengthening of military capacity; 6.6% –  the preservation of Romanian national values; 6% – the development of economic relations with China/Russia; 4.4% – the nationalization of natural resources.

        * 90.6% consider that Romania should protect the rights of ethnic minorities on its territory, while 7.7% disagree with this statement.

The data was collected between June 1 and 15 by computer-assisted telephone interviewing, the volume of the multistage layered sample being 1,100 people, representative by significant social-demographic categories for the uninstitutionalized population of Romania, aged 18 and over. The maximum acceptable data error is ą 2.95%, for a confidence level of 95%. AGERPRES (RO – author: Irinela Visan, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN – author: Simona Iacob, editor: Simona Klodnischi)