Over three-quarters (76%) of Romanians believe that their country is headed in the wrong direction, while only 19% believe that the direction is a good one, according to an opinion poll conducted by CURS nationwide in January.
If parliamentary elections were held next Sunday, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) would garner 35% of the votes. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) would be second at 23%, and next would be the National Liberal Party (PNL) at 18%. The Save Romania Union (USR) would get 10%, while the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and S.O.S. Romania would each get 5% of the vote.
According to CURS, former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu is positively seen by 36% of the respondents, with 60% having negative opinions about him, and the AUR national leader, George Simion, and incumbent President Nicusor Dan command similar levels of trust of 32% and 31%, for high rates of distrust of over 60%.
The poll also indicates that Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and PSD national leader Sorin Grindeanu face a "sharp" level of rejection of over 70%, while the leader of the S.O.S., Diana Sosoaca, registers the highest level of distrust, at 80%.
"In the case of figures such as Dominic Fritz and Anamaria Gavrila, there is a significant level of public ignorance, which indicates a limited visibility at national level. Overall, the data reflect a crisis of confidence in political leadership," CURS wrote in a press statement released on Sunday.
The Army, the Church and the Fire Brigade enjoy the best public image, with confidence percentages between 61% and 80%, while the Police and the European Union slightly exceed the threshold of 50% positive opinions.
On the other hand, the political institutions and those of the judiciary are evaluated predominantly negatively: Parliament and the judiciary are rejected by 75% of the respondents, the Government and the Constitutional Court by 73%, and the Presidency by 67%.
Public expectations for 2026 are predominantly negative - 63% of respondents believe that their economic situation and living standards will worsen compared to 2025, while 29% expect stagnation.
Only 7% anticipate an improvement, and 1%percent do not have a clear opinion, which reflects an almost total lack of economic optimism among the public.
In the event of a vote on the reunification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania, publicly supported by Moldova's President Maia Sandu, 56% of respondents say they would vote for the reunion in a referendum. At the same time, 37% say they would not support such an approach, and 7% do not have a clear opinion.
"The CURS poll of January 2026 outlines the image of a society marked by economic pessimism, distrust in political institutions and the absence of leaders perceived as capable of providing direction and stability. The heightened perception of the deterioration of the standard of living, combined with very high inflationary expectations, creates a climate of latent social tension, with a major potential to influence electoral behaviour and political stability in the short term," according to CURS.
The poll was conducted on a representative sample of 1,067 respondents, adult population residing in Romania, aged 18 years and over. The data were collected using the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interviews) between January 14 and 23. The sample is probabilistic, multistage and stratified, with a maximum margin of error of ą3%, at a confidence level of 95%.
Comentează