Romanians in the latest Eurobarometer

Three quarters of Romanians believe the pandemic has already had or is going to have an impact on their financial situation

Bogdan Matei, 04.06.2021, 13:50

Pessimism, skepticism or at least caution
is presently characterizing the state of mind of many people nowadays not only
in Romania but also around Europe at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic seems to
have diminished.

More than three quarters of Romanians, 76%
to be precise, believe the pandemic has already had or is going to have an
impact on their financial situation, whereas the average EU figures stay at
57%, data released by the latest Eurobarometer shows. As part of the survey
released on Thursday, roughly 27 thousand people have been interviewed in 27
member countries.

According to pundits, the survey conducted in March
and April shows the increasingly strong impact the pandemic has had upon the
personal lives and financial situation of the European citizens.

The survey reveals though that 58% of the EU
respondents and 45% of the Romanians believe that in spite of the pandemic’s
impact, the health benefits are higher than the negative economic effects.

This belief is dominant in most of the countries and
it points to a shift in the public opinion as compared to the second half of
2020 when most of the citizens attached more importance to the economic
effects.

Almost half of the citizens (48% in the EU and 41% in
Romania) are knowledgeable of the measures adopted by Brussels to fight the
pandemic but only 48% of the Europeans, and 52% of the Romanians say they are
happy with these measures.

The majority of the respondents also
believe it is better for global challenges, such as the pandemic, to be approached
jointly at EU level.

Another survey conducted last month shows
that the EU inspires more trust to citizens than their local governments.
Conducted by Eurofound,
an EU agency with a social mission, the survey shows that with the notable
exception of Denmark, in 26 out of the 27 countries surveyed, the people’s
trust in their governments has diminished since the quarantine measures were
imposed.

The trust has been visibly
eroded in countries like Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece,
and Poland.

Respondents in
countries like France, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Spain say they
trust more the European Union now than at the moment when the pandemic kicked
off, 14 months ago. The situation is different in Germany though.

Initiators of the aforementioned
survey have cautioned against the economic and social imbalances, which tend to
create political frustration and have called for additional assistance measures
for the EU citizens.

(bill)