INSCOP survey: 74.2% of Romanians favourable to introduction of voluntary military service

Nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of Romanians have a favourable opinion of the introduction of voluntary military service, according to an INSCOP survey published on Wednesday.The barometer was conducted between 1 and 9 September, commissioned by the news platform Informat.ro in partnership with the Strategic Thinking Group think tank.Data was collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), with a simple, stratified sample size of 1,103 individuals, representative across key socio-demographic categories of the non-institutionalised population aged 18 and over. The maximum margin of error is ?2.95%, with a confidence level of 95%.According to the survey, 74.2% of Romanians have a favourable view of introducing voluntary military service. This figure marks a decrease from July, when 79.4% supported such a measure.Meanwhile, one fifth (20.7%) of respondents expressed a negative opinion regarding the introduction of voluntary military service, compared to 15.1% in July. The proportion of non-responses was 5.1%.Those with a favourable opinion on the matter include 76% of Social Democratic Party (PSD) voters, 94% of National Liberal Party (PNL) voters, 87% of Save Romania Union (USR) voters and 68% of Alliance for Romanians' Union (AUR) voters.The measure is also supported by 76% of men and 72% of women, 76% of young people under the age of 30, 77% of those aged 30-44, 67% of people aged 45-59 and 78% of those over 60.The same view is shared by 60% of individuals with primary education, 76% of those with secondary education, and 87% of university graduates, 74% of Bucharest residents, 81% of people in urban areas with over 90,000 inhabitants, 80% in smaller urban areas and 68% in rural areas; as well as 81% of public sector employees and 75% of private sector workers.INSCOP Research Director Remus Stefureac noted that public support for voluntary military service is 'strong and consistent' over time, with three-quarters of Romanians having had a favourable view of this form of military service both now and a decade ago."Segmenting the responses by population group reveals relatively homogenous opinions, with only the population with primary education showing a higher rate - over 30% - of negative opinion toward voluntary military service. Additionally, voters of all political parties express overwhelmingly positive views, particularly among PNL and USR supporters. In the regional context marked by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, these perceptions can contribute to strengthening the preparedness and resilience of the population in the face of real security threats," Stefureac said.