Romanians are among the Europeans most dissatisfied with their lives

Romanian citizens are among the Europeans most dissatisfied with their lives, even compared to those in Eastern Europe, according to data from Eurobarometer 101 in 2024.

Only 62% of Romanians said they were completely satisfied with their lives in 2024, while 38% said they were totally dissatisfied, the highest rate among EU countries. By comparison, 90% or more of citizens in countries such as Germany, Spain, Slovenia, and Sweden report being fully satisfied with their lives, while among our neighbors in Bulgaria, the proportion of those satisfied with life is lower (66% of the population).

Romanians' dissatisfaction with their lives is also reflected in their lack of confidence that things will improve in the future. Approximately one-third (31%) of Romanians expect their lives to be worse in 2025, significantly more citizens than in any other EU country included in Eurobarometer 101. By comparison, less than 20% of citizens in Bulgaria, Spain, or Slovenia expect their lives to be worse in 2025, while only 5% of citizens in Sweden have the same expectation.

Furthermore, although Germany experienced several quarters of economic decline in 2023 and 2024, the rate of pessimism about their own lives in 2025 is 23% among citizens, much lower than in Romania. The evolution of this mistrust among Romanians in their own future is also worrying, rising to 31% in 2024 from 24% in 2023.

Price increases and the economic situation are among the most pressing issues for Romanians

The most important issues reported by Romanian citizens are related to price increases and the country's economic situation. 43% of Romanians consider price dynamics to be the biggest problem, and 27% consider the economic situation to be an important issue for the country. The issue of rising prices is considered important by the majority of European citizens, with high rates recorded in Croatia (59%), Malta (58%), Bulgaria (48%), Estonia (47%), and lower rates in Scandinavian countries.

The elderly, the least satisfied with their lives

The data collected by the European Commission in Eurobarometer 101 allows us to identify some additional data about the most dissatisfied Romanians. The rate of dissatisfaction increases with age. While only 26% of Romanians between the ages of 18 and 44 say they are dissatisfied, this rate increases significantly among older age groups, with 35% dissatisfied among those aged 45-54, 44% dissatisfied among those aged 55-65, and 55% dissatisfied among those over 65. Similarly, those with primary education tend to be the most dissatisfied with their lives, with 57% dissatisfied among Romanians with less than 8 years of schooling, while the dissatisfaction rate among Romanians with higher education is only 22%. Almost 50% of Romanians in rural areas say they are dissatisfied with their lives, compared to 30% of Romanians in large cities.

Dissatisfaction increases Euroscepticism

Eurobarometer data confirms that citizen dissatisfaction correlates with critical opinions of the EU. Almost two-thirds of Romanians who have a negative opinion of the European Union say they are deeply dissatisfied with their lives. Furthermore, dissatisfaction with the European Union's actions regarding Ukraine also seems to correlate with the overall level of dissatisfaction, with most of those dissatisfied with the intervention generally being dissatisfied with their own lives in Romania.

Given the reorganisation of the presidential elections in 2025, these high levels of dissatisfaction should be addressed by the authorities. Otherwise, the prevalence of these dissatisfactions risks leading to a general rejection of the political status quo, even without citizens necessarily realising what the alternatives are.

The data presented comes from Eurobarometer 101/2024 and Eurobarometer 100/2023, conducted at the initiative of the European Commission.

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Data processing and text design: Dani Sandu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL