The evolution of Romanians' trust in the European Union, in the context of the European Parliament elections

The results of several Eurobarometer surveys indicate a steady increase in Romanians' trust in the European Union between 2018 and 2024, while trust in the national government has declined slightly. In 2018, only one-third of Romanian citizens said they trusted the European Union, while in 2024 this proportion rose to 52%. In contrast, trust in the national government was expressed by 25% of Romanians in 2018, and in 2024 this figure fell slightly to 22%.

In Romania, the situation is not necessarily unique in this regard, as in almost all European Union countries there are more citizens who trust the European Union than their national government. However, Romania stands out as having one of the largest discrepancies in this regard. In 2024, almost 58% of EU27 citizens say they trust the European Union and only 41% say they trust their national government, with both proportions remaining relatively stable over the last six years.

Statistics show that the distribution of trust in the European Union and the national government is relatively stable within the country as well. In 2024, 52% of Romanians said they trusted the European Union, with the highest trust scores in the Bucharest-Ilfov area (57%). Residents of Bucharest-Ilfov also show the lowest level of trust in the national government, at only 18%, compared to the national average of 22%.

Although Romanians do not necessarily express trust in the government, Eurobarometer 538 indicates that they have considerable trust in local government. Approximately 49% of Romanians say they trust local government in 2024, which is more than double the level of trust in the national government and only slightly lower than the level of trust in the European Union. Trust in local government varies significantly between development regions. In the Bucharest-Ilfov area, only 40% of citizens say they trust local government, while in the North-West area this percentage reaches 60%. 

Romanians' trust in the European Union is matched by a very high level of optimism about the future of the European Union in general and the future of their own region. In 2024, 72% of Romanians said they were optimistic about the future of the region in which they live, compared to the EU27 average of 66%. Similarly, 61% of Romanians said they were optimistic about the future of the European Union in general, compared to the EU27 average of 55% of citizens.

Romanians' confidence in the European Union and their optimism about the future are also reflected in their expectations regarding voter turnout for the elections on June 9, 2024. According to Eurobarometer 538/2024, 53% of respondents in Romania say they will vote in the elections. This turnout would be the highest in the history of European Parliament elections in Romania, even higher than the record turnout in the 2019 European Parliament elections, when 51% of Romanians cast their votes.

The data used in the infographic was collected by Eurostat through Eurobarometers 539/2024, 500/2021, and 472/2018.

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Data processing and text design: Daniel Sandu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL