INSCOP Survey: Romanians growing more pessimistic about country’s future

  A total of 30.8% of Romanians think that things in Romania are moving in the right direction, according to a recent INSCOP survey carried out for News.ro. The figure is on the rise compared to 10 years ago and the previous month (25.5%), showing a somewhat increased level of optimism among Romanians.   Meanwhile, 62.5% of respondents say that things in the country are heading in the wrong direction, down from 70.6% in March. PSD-PNL voters, those aged between 18 and 29, and people with very high incomes mainly think things are heading in a good direction in Romania. AUR voters and people with very low incomes are of the opposite opinion in significantly higher proportions than the average.   “The perception of the direction in which the country is headed registers a slight improvement, as almost always happens in the transition from winter to spring. The approach of the warm season influences the opinions of Romanians by increasing optimism. As a rule, after a short period, the tendency is to return to the figures that have stabilized over a longer period of time,” said Remus ?tefureac, director of INSCOP Research.   According to the same survey, 33% of Romanians are most worried about the possibility of a conflict/war involving Romania (compared to 9.9% in May 2014), while the increase in prices was mentioned by 28.6% of respondents (vs 24.5% in May 2014).   Other sources of concern include a possible deterioration of health (18.5% of those interviewed now vs 17% in May 2014), the deterioration of the environment (5.5% vs 2.4%), reduced income (4.9% vs 16% ten years ago), and job loss (4.7%, down from 22.7% in May 2014).   INSCOP Research carried out the opinion poll for News.ro between April 12 and 20 through the CATI method (telephone interviews). A total of 1,100 people aged 18 and over have participated in the survey.