INSCOP poll: More than half of Romanians think the country is heading in the wrong direction

More than half of the Romanians consider that the country is heading in the wrong direction, mainly due to the way it is governed, shows a survey made by INSCOP at the command of News.ro which shows that the percentage of the pessimists is dropping against September 2023, when it was almost 70%. Over a third of the population considers that the direction where the country goes is good, for the most the main criterion is that their life improved.   The direction the country is heading   34.9% of the Romanians consider that Romania is heading in the good direction, while 56.3% are pessimist in connection to the future of the country. 8.9% represents the percentage of those did not answer.   More than half of the interviewees consider the country is heading in the good direction: the PSD and PNL voters, youth under 30, people with higher education, the inactive potentially active and those with high incomes. They are pessimistic in connection to the future of the country: the AUR and USR voters, people with limited education, those aged between 45 and 59, grey collars and those with reduced income.   The evolution of the direction the country is heading to (September 2023 – June 2024)   The evolution of the good direction   In September 2023, 21.1% thought that the country heads into the good direction. They had the same opinion 23.4% in October 2023, in November 2023, 25.1%, January 2024 – 24.8%, February 2024 – 25.5.%, April 2024 – 30.8% , May 2024 –32.5%, 34.9%- June 2024.   The evolution of the wrong direction   In September 2023, 69.5% considered that the country is heading the wrong direction. They had the same opinion 68.6% in October 2023, 66.7% in November 2023, January 2024 – 70.1%, February 2024 – 62.5%, April 2024 – 60.3%, May 2024 – 56.3% in June 2024.   Reasons for the good direction   41.2% of the optimistic with regards to the direction of the country think that the main reason for this evolution is represented by the fact that their life improved. 24.7% mention the state of the country economy, 23.9% the way the country is governed, 4.1% choose another reason and 6% do not know or do not answer.   Reasons for the wrong direction where the country is heading   62.5% of the pessimistic with regards to the direction of the country think that the main reason for this evolution is represented by the way the country is governed, 23.1% mention the state of the country economy and 8% the fact that their life worsened, 4.2% choose another reason and 2.3% do not know or do not answer.   "The perception of the direction in which things are going in Romania has been steadily evolving over the last 10 months. Compared to September 2023, the share of those who think the country is going in a good direction has increased significantly from 21.1% to 34.9%. Asked why they think things are going in a good direction in Romania, 41.2% of optimists indicate that their life has improved, 24.7% point to the state of the country's economy and 23.9% point to the way the country is governed. In terms of perceived wrong direction, this fell from 69.5% in September 2023 to 56.3% in June 2024. The reason for the wrong direction indicated by almost two thirds of pessimists is the way the country is governed, while 23.1% indicate the state of the country's economy and only 8% that their life has become worse," says Remus Stefureac, director of INSCOP Research.   The opinion survey was made by INSCOP Research at the command of the Press Agency News.ro. The data were collected between 19 and 27 June 2024, method CATI (phone interviews), the volume of the sample, stratified being 1,100 people, representative for socio-demographic categories (sex, age, occupation) for the non-institutionalised population of Romania, aged 18 and over. The research method is interview by questionnaire. The maximum error of the data is +/- 2.95% for a trust degree of 95%.