Most Romanians consider communist regime “rather a good thing”, INSCOP poll shows

Publicat: 22 07. 2025, 14:22
Romanian Communist Party general secretary and President Nicolae Ceaucescu's addresses 20 November 1989 in Bucharest the party members during the party congress. Ceaucescu and his wife Elena were deposed and executed by firing squad 25 December 1989 after being found guilty by an army tribunal of "crimes against the people". The anti-Communist uprising ending Ceausescu's 24 years of dictatorial rule started 16 December as a small protest in Timisoara and later 21 December during a huge anti-communist demonstration at the Republic Square in front of Romanian Communist Party Central Committee headquarters.

The survey was carried out between June 25 and July 3, 2025, with a sample size of 1,505 individuals.

The poll also provides insight into perceptions of life under communism: 48.4% of respondents feel that life before 1989 was „better” than it is today, while 34.7% believe that life was „worse.” When it comes to the issue of freedom, 80.9% of Romanians acknowledge that there was „less freedom” before 1989, while 65.1% claim there was „less corruption” under communism.

Personal experience remains the most significant source of information about communism, with 34.8% of respondents stating they „lived through that period.” Additionally, 22.5% rely on accounts from their parents or grandparents, while only 7% cite school as their primary source of knowledge.

According to the survey, 68.2% of Romanians feel they possess enough information to form an opinion about the communist era. However, when asked about the current trajectory of the country, only 27.4% believe Romania is moving in the right direction, while 63.5% feel things are heading in the wrong direction.

The research was conducted through questionnaire-based interviews, specifically using the CATI method (telephone interviews). The maximum permissible error in the data is ± 2.53%, with a confidence level of 95%, as reported by INSCOP.