Most Romanians Are Dissatisfied With Quality Of Life – Survey

The survey’s first edition, carried out in late 2006 by the EBRD and the World Bank, found that less than 70% of Romanians said they were dissatisfied.

Optimism regarding the future has fallen to less than half between 2006 and 2010. Only around a fifth of Romanians see a brighter future for their children, compared to their own.

Nearly two thirds of Romanian households were affected by the economic crisis – one of the highest shares among the states included in the survey. The crisis had a strong impact on 70% of middle-aged people (40-59) and more than two thirds of people with low income (expenses of less than $4,000 per household). Less than 50% of older people (60+) felt the effects of the crisis, according to the survey.

Attitudes towards democracy and the market economy became more negative in 2006-2010, but the combination of these two remains the most popular political and economic option for Romanians. Support for the market economy is among the lowest in the region – little more than a third of respondents prefer it to any other economic system, ten points less than in 2006. Romanians’ feelings towards democracy have held up better – the share of people who support this system unreservedly declined only seven points, to 43%.

Romanians do not believe certain democratic aspects exist in their country, according to the EBRD. Only 27% said Romania has free and fair elections and only 23% believe there is law and order. Less than a fifth believe the judicial system protects the individual from the abuses of the state. These shares are 40 points or more below the average of the Western European states included in the survey.

Trust in public institutions dropped in 2006-2010. Trust in the presidency fell to only 14%, while in the Government and Parliament it declined two thirds, to only 7%, and to 5% in the case of political parties.

The share of Romanians who believe bribes in healthcare are a common occurrence is especially high – 43% of respondents, 13 points more than in 2006. The traffic police is second among the sectors perceived as corrupt, with almost 12% of the respondents believing bribes are a problem. Perception regarding corruption in other public sectors has improved slightly, but is still significantly higher than in Western states, according to the survey.

Half of Romanians want the government to give healthcare higher priority in spending. A quarter would have the authorities focus on education, while 12% want higher pensions.