INSCOP Poll: Over 48pct of Romanians believe life was better under communist regime and 66.2% say that Nicolae Ceausescu was a good leader

Over 48% of Romanians believe that life was better under the communist regime, according to an INSCOP poll commissioned by the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER).Data were collected between June 25 and July 3, using the CATI method (telephone interviews). The sample size was 1,505 people, aged 18 years and over. The maximum permissible error of the data is +/-2.53% at a 95% confidence level.According to the poll, 48.4% of Romanians believe that life was better under the communist regime, while 34.7% believe that life was worse during that period.On the other hand, 80.9% indicated that before the December 1989 Revolution there was less freedom, a point of view contradicted by 9% of respondents.As many as 55.8% of those surveyed consider that the communist regime was rather a good thing for Romania, while 34.5% adopt a contrary opinion. 68.2% say that they have enough information to make an opinion about the communist period. For 29.7% the answer was "probably not" or "definitely not.Respondents believe that before 1989 food was healthier (85.1%), there was less freedom (80.9%), people helped each other more (80%), there was more public safety (75.1%), more was produced than today (68.5%), the state took more care of citizens (66.4%), there was less corruption (65.1%), state bodies were more efficient (58.7%), access to education was easier (49.9%), access to healthcare services was easier (48.6%), people lived better (48.4%), more values were promoted than at present (48.2%).As many as 77.2% of the surveyed believe that before 1989 Romania was a richer country than it is today, and 73.2% say that it was more respected abroad. At the same time, 52.8% believe that during the communist regime there was less industry-generated pollution.As many as 59.2% of the surveyed say that the communist regime was responsible for abuses and crimes, while 23.7% believe the opposite.Over 96% of respondents heard that during the communist period certain foods were rationed and others were not found almost nowhere.At the same time, 92.1% found out that trips abroad were restricted, and over 95% know that TV broadcasting was limited to a few times a day.Over 76.1% heard that access to any leadership position was allowed only to party members, and 85.6% know that before 1989 you were compelled to report to the job assigned at the end of school/college. At the same time, over 82% heard about the fact that hundreds of thousands of Romanians were killed and tortured in communist prisons.As many as 34.8% of respondents lived under communism, and 14.2% said they got information about that period from relatives. For 7% the main source of information was school, and for 5.4% books or documentary films. 3.1% found out about the communist period mainly from the Internet, and 2.8% from the media, while 0.4% have social media as a source of information.Over 73% of respondents feel that Romania has lost its cultural identity in recent decades, and 75% say that the films produced during the communist period were better. Over 58% appreciate more the entertainment shows of that period, and 71.8% consider that Romanian music was better before 1989.Also, as many as 66.2% say that Nicolae Ceausescu was a good leader, while 24.1% consider that he was a bad leader.Of the respondents, 41.2% get their information from TV, 22.8% from social media, 20.3% from news websites, 7.1% from newspapers and magazines, 5.3% from radio stations.Over 57% are of the opinion that at this moment in Romania there are political parties or formations that have pro-communist messages.As many as 63.5% of the surveyed believe that Romania is heading in the wrong direction, and 27.4% believe that things in Romania are on the right track. (Photo: www.gov.ro)