Download graphical presentation: 19.02.2026 Survey report NSC – INSCOP Research – 4 years of war in Ukraine
Today, February 19, a press conference was held at the Intercontinental Athenée Palace Hotel to present the complete data from the sociological research study “Four years of war in Ukraine. The profound impact on public opinion in Romania,” conducted by INSCOP Research between January 28 and February 6, 2026, at the request of the New Strategy Center.
Direction of the country
22.2% of respondents believe that things in Romania are heading in the right direction (compared to 20% in November 2022, 23.4% in November 2023, 30.3% in October 2024, and 24.1% in November 2025). 73.1% believe that things are going in the wrong direction (compared to 74.8% in November 2022, 68.6% in November 2023, 61.1% in October 2024, and 66.3% in November 2025), and 4.7% do not know or do not answer (compared to 5.3% in November 2022, 8% in November 2023, 8.6% in October 2024, and 9.6% in November 2025).
The following are optimistic about the direction of the country: PNL and USR voters, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas. The following groups are particularly pessimistic about the country’s direction: PSD and AUR voters, people over 60, those with primary education, and rural residents.
32.2% of Romanians cite corruption as the most important issue that concerns them (compared to 21.5% in November 2023). 23.6% mention rising prices (compared to 23.6% in November 2023), 13.4% mention their own and their family’s health (compared to 18.1% in November 2023), and 11.7% mention the state of the education system (compared to 14.3% in November 2023). They indicate a lack of jobs – 9.8% (compared to 11.7% in November 2023), the war in Ukraine – 6.9% (compared to 9% in November 2023), and the state of infrastructure – 0.7% (compared to 1% in November 2023). The share of non-responses is 1.6% (compared to 0.8% in November 2023).
The following groups choose corruption as their main source of concern: USR and AUR voters, men, people between 45 and 59 years old, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest, and public sector employees. They cite rising prices as the most important issue that concerns them in particular: PSD voters, young people under 30, people with primary and secondary education, and rural residents. PSD voters, people over 60, and those with primary education mention their own and their family’s health as their main concern more often than the rest of the population. PNL voters and people over 60 in particular consider the war in Ukraine to be the most worrying issue.
The winner of the war in Ukraine
44.5% of those surveyed believe that Russia will win the war in Ukraine (compared to 26.1% in May 2022 and 32.6% in November 2023), while 23.4% indicate Ukraine (compared to 50.3% in May 2022 and 34.5% in November 2023). 32.2% do not know or do not answer (compared to 23.5% in May 2022 and 32.9% in November 2023).
I believe that Russia will win the war, especially: AUR voters and young people under 30. I believe that Ukraine will win the war, especially: PNL and USR voters, women, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest.
Ending the conflict in Ukraine
35.4% of survey participants believe that, in order to end the war, Ukraine should make concessions to Russia (compared to 24.5% in November 2023). 53.3% believe that Russia should withdraw and return the territories to Ukraine (compared to 64.7% in November 2023). The share of non-responses is 11.3% (compared to 10.8% in November 2023).
Believe that, in order to stop the war, Ukraine should make concessions to Russia, especially: AUR voters, men, people between 30 and 59 years old, private sector employees. I believe that Russia should withdraw and return the territories to Ukraine, especially: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, women, and young people under 30.
Who is to blame for the war in Ukraine
54.9% of those surveyed believe that Russia is to blame for starting the war (compared to 71.2% in May 2022 and 49.8% in November 2023). 14.1% point to Ukraine (compared to 4.5% in May 2022 and 8.8% in November 2023), 7.7% to the US (compared to 10.4% in May 2022 and 14.6% in November 2023), 9% indicate the European Union (compared to 1.7% in May 2022 and 2.9% in November 2023), and 3.5% indicate others. The share of non-responses is 10.8% (compared to 8.3% in May 2022 and 19.4% in November 2023).
Those who believe Russia is primarily responsible for starting the war are: PSD, PNL, and USR voters; young people under 30 and people over 60; and residents of Bucharest. Those who believe Ukraine is primarily responsible are: PSD and AUR voters; and people with primary education. People between 30 and 44 years old, those with higher education, and private sector employees point to the US in greater proportion than the rest of the population. AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, and those with primary education in particular believe that the EU is to blame for starting the war.
31.5% of survey participants believe that, in order to resist Russia’s aggression, Romania should provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid, 10.5% with military aid, and 12.2% with financial aid. 42.6% believe that Romania should not provide any aid, while 3.3% do not know or did not respond.
AUR voters, people between 30 and 59 years old, those with primary education, rural residents, and private sector employees believe to a greater extent than the rest of the population that Romania should not provide any kind of aid to Ukraine. They believe that Romania should provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid in particular: PNL and USR voters, young people under 30, people with secondary and higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and public sector employees. They believe that the country should provide military aid in particular: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, young people under 30, and those with primary education. PSD, PNL, and USR voters, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest in particular say that financial aid is the most important type of aid to offer Ukraine.
Romania and its Allies
Romania’s attitude within NATO
If a NATO member state were attacked, 40.9% of those interviewed believe that Romania should fulfill its NATO obligations and provide military assistance to the attacked ally (compared to 51.1% in February 2022 and 51.2% in May 2022). 27.4% believe that Romania should not participate in the war, but should send medical aid and food (compared to 27.7% in February 2022 and 28% in May 2022). 19.6% would choose for Romania to remain neutral (compared to 12.2% in February 2022 and 15.9% in May 2022), while 5.5% would like the country to leave NATO (compared to 6.2% in February 2022 and 3% in May 2022). 6.5% do not know or do not answer (compared to 2.8% in February 2022 and 1.9% in May 2022).
They believe that Romania should fulfill its NATO obligations and provide military assistance to its attacked ally, especially: PNL and USR voters, men, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest. They believe that Romania should not participate in the war, but should send medical aid and food, especially: women, people over 60, and those with primary education. A AUR voters believe to a greater extent than the rest of the population that Romania should remain neutral if a NATO state were attacked.
When asked to what extent they believe various entities/countries would defend Romania in the event of an attack by Russia, 66.6% of respondents indicated to a very large or fairly large extent NATO, 47.7% – France, 46.6% – the US, and 44.6% – Germany, the UK – 38.1%.
NATO
35.3% of Romanians believe that NATO would defend Romania in the event of an attack by Russia to a very large extent, 31.3% to a fairly large extent, 12.7% to a fairly small extent, and 17% to a very small extent or not at all. 3.6% do not know and 0.1% did not respond.
The following groups believe that NATO will defend Romania if the country is attacked by Russia: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest. AUR voters, people between 30 and 59 years old, and those with primary education are the least likely to believe that NATO will defend Romania if the country is attacked by Russia.
USA
When asked to what extent they believe the US would defend Romania if the country were attacked by Russia, 18.3% of those surveyed say to a very large extent, 28.3% to a large extent, 17.9% to a fairly small extent, and 29% to a very small extent or not at all. 6.2% did not know, and 0.3% did not respond.
The following groups believe that the US would defend Romania if the country were attacked by Russia: PNL voters, men, young people under 30, and residents of Bucharest. USR voters and people between 45 and 59 are the least likely to believe that the US would intervene in the event of a Russian attack on Romania.
France
If Romania were attacked by Russia, 23.6% of survey participants believe that France would defend the country to a very large extent, 24.2% to a fairly large extent, 16.2% to a fairly small extent, and 31% to a very small extent or not at all. 5% do not know and 0.2% do not answer.
PNL and USR voters, young people under 30 and people over 60, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and public sector employees are the most confident that France would defend the country if it were attacked by Russia. USR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, those with primary education, and rural residents are the least likely to believe that France would intervene in the event of a Russian attack on Romania .
Germany
17.3% of respondents believe that Germany would defend Romania if the country were attacked by Russia to a very large extent, 27.4% to a large extent, 17.4% to a fairly small extent, and 31.6% to a very small extent or not at all. 6.1% do not know, and 0.2% do not answer.
PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest are the most confident that Germany would defend the country if it were attacked by Russia. AUR voters, people with primary education, rural residents, and public sector employees are the least likely to believe that Germany would intervene in the event of a Russian attack on Romania.
United Kingdom
14.6% of those interviewed believe that the United Kingdom would defend Romania if the country were attacked by Russia to a very large extent, 23.6% to a fairly large extent, 19.4% to a fairly small extent, and 36.4% to a very small extent or not at all. 5.9% do not know and 0.2% do not answer.
Those who believe that the UK would defend Romania if the country were attacked by Russia are mainly: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30 and people over 60, and those with higher education. AUR voters, women, people between 30 and 44 years old, and those with secondary education are the least likely to believe that the UK would intervene in the event of a Russian attack on Romania.
The possibility of US troop withdrawal
73.1% of respondents have heard about the possibility of US troops withdrawing from Europe and, implicitly, from Romania, while 25.4% have not heard about this. 1.5% do not know or did not respond.
Those who have heard about the possibility of US troops withdrawing from Europe, and implicitly from Romania in particular, are: PNL voters, men, people over 45, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest, and public sector employees. The following groups have not heard about the possibility of US troops being withdrawn from Europe and, implicitly, from Romania: AUR voters, women, people aged 18 to 44, those with secondary education, and rural residents.
Attitude towards the withdrawal of American troops
47.9% of those interviewed believe that the possibility of US troops withdrawing from Romania would significantly affect Romania’s security. 26.2% believe that it would affect the country’s security, but that US troops could be replaced by troops from European allies, while 19.9% say that it would not affect Romania’s security at all. The proportion of non-responses is 6.1%.
I believe that the withdrawal of US troops from Romania would significantly affect Romania’s security, especially: PSD and AUR voters, young people under 30 and people over 60, rural residents. I believe it would affect the country’s security, but US troops can be replaced by troops from European allies, especially: PNL and USR voters, people with higher education, urban residents, and public sector employees. AUR voters, men, and people between the ages of 30 and 59 are more likely than the rest of the population to believe that the withdrawal of American troops would not affect Romania’s security at all.
48.6% of those interviewed agree with the statement “Advanced arms purchases from the US and Europe help strengthen the Romanian Army” (compared to 48.5% in February 2022 and 50.5% in March 2022). 40.2% choose the statement: “The purchase of advanced weapons from the US and Europe only helps to increase the profits of arms manufacturers” (compared to 45% in February 2022 and 41.5% in March 2022). The share of non-responses is 11.2% (compared to 6.5% in February 2022 and 8.1% in March 2022).
Those who believe that the purchase of advanced weapons from the US and Europe helps to strengthen the Romanian Army are mainly: PNL and USR voters, young people under 30, and residents of Bucharest. Believe that purchases of advanced Western weapons only help to increase the profits of arms manufacturers, especially: people between 45 and 59 years old, those with higher education, and public sector employees.
Trust in international leaders
Donald Trump and Emanuel Macron lead the ranking of trust in international leaders, with 33% of respondents saying they have a lot or quite a lot of trust in the two presidents, American and French (compared to 30.5% and 26.3% respectively in June 2025). The ranking continues with Ursula von der Leyen with a trust rating of 23.7%, Volodimir Zelensky with 23.1%, and Frederick Merz with 20.8%. At the bottom of the list are Victor Orban with 20.5% and Vladimir Putin with 17.5% (compared to 15.6% in June 2025).
Donald Trump
13.9% of survey participants say they have a lot of trust in Donald Trump. 19.1% have quite a lot of trust, 18.9% have quite a little, and 45% have very little or none at all. 1.3% don’t know or don’t answer, while 1.7% say they don’t know him.
The American president is trusted most by: AUR voters, young people under 30 and people over 60, those with secondary education, and rural residents. PNL and USR voters, women, people between 30 and 59 years old, those with higher education, and residents of Bucharest and large urban areas have the least confidence in Donald Trump.
Emanuel Macron
8.6% of those interviewed say they have a lot of confidence in Emanuel Macron, while 24.3% have quite a lot, 14% quite a little, and 46.6% very little or none at all. 2.6% do not know or do not answer, and 3.8% say they do not know him.
The French president is trusted most by: PNL and USR voters, young people under 30, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest. AUR voters, people between 30 and 59 years old, those with primary education, and residents of the private sector are the population groups that have the least confidence in Emmanuel Macron.
Ursula von der Leyen
When asked how much confidence they have in Ursula von der Leyen , 6.4% of those interviewed say they have a lot, 17.2% quite a lot, 14.1% quite a little, and 50.8% very little or none at all. The share of non-responses is 2.9%, while 8.5% say they do not know her.
PNL and USR voters, people with higher education, and Bucharest residents tend to have the most confidence in Ursula von der Leyen. Those who have little or no confidence in the head of the European Commission are mainly PSD and AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, and those with primary education.
Volodymyr Zelensky
When asked how much trust they have in Volodymyr Zelensky, 7% of those surveyed say they have a lot, 16.1% say they have quite a lot, 15.5% say they have quite a little, and 56.5% say they have very little or none at all. The proportion of non-responses is 2.3%, while 2.5% say they do not know him.
The Ukrainian president is trusted most by: PNL and USR voters, young people under 30, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest. PSD and AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, those with primary education, and rural residents are the population groups that have the least confidence in Volodimir Zelensky.
Friederick Merz
6% of respondents say they have a lot of trust in Friederick Merz. 14.7% say they have quite a lot of trust, 15.3% quite a little, and 38% very little or none at all. The share of non-responses is 3.1%, while 22.9% say they do not know him.
The German chancellor is trusted most by: PNL and USR voters, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest. AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, those with primary education, and private sector employees have the least trust in Friederick Merz.
Victor Orban
9.8% of survey participants say they have a lot of trust in Victor Orban, 10.7% say they have quite a lot, 17.3% say they have quite a little, and 55.9% say they have very little or no trust. The share of non-responses is 2.7%, while 3.5% say they do not know him.
The Hungarian prime minister is trusted most by AUR voters and public sector employees. PNL and USR voters, people aged 30 to 44, those with higher education, Bucharest residents, and private sector employees are the population groups that trust the Hungarian leader the least.
Vladimir Putin
8.9% of Romanians say they have a lot of trust in Vladimir Putin, 8.6% quite a lot, 9.6% quite a little, and 70.2% very little or not at all. 1.8% do not know or do not answer, while 0.9% say they do not know him.
Vladimir Putin is trusted most by: AUR voters and young people under 30. The Russian president tends to be distrusted most by: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, women, people over 60, and those with higher education.
Internal benchmarks of national security
Personal attitude towards war
In the event of a war in which Romania were to be attacked, 48% of respondents would fight to defend their country (compared to 50.5% in November 2023), 19.7% would emigrate from Romania (compared to 19.4% in November 2023), 10.5% wouldwould hide until the war was over (compared to 11.8% in November 2023), 4.7% would obtain a medical certificate to be declared unfit for combat (compared to 5.6% in November 2023), and 7% would do something else (compared to 4.7% in November 2023). The proportion of non-responses is 10% (compared to 8% in November 2023).
Those who say they would fight to defend their country are mainly: PNL and AUR voters, men, people between 45 and 59 years old, those with secondary education, and rural residents. Those who believe they would hide until the war is over are mainly: PSD voters, women, people over 60, and those with primary education. USR and AUR voters, people between 18 and 44, those with higher education, and private sector employees are more likely than the rest of the population to say they would emigrate from the country.
Romania’s level of preparedness in the face of a Russian cyberattack
3.6% of Romanians believe that Romania is very well prepared to deal with a Russian attack , 9.9% believe it is fairly well prepared, 31.7% believe it is fairly poorly prepared, and 51.4% believe it is very poorly prepared or not prepared at all. The proportion of non-responses is 3.3%.
Those who believe that Romania is prepared to face an attack by Russia are mainly: PNL voters, young people under 30, and residents of Bucharest. AUR voters, people between 45 and 59, those with higher education , residents of small towns, and private sector employees are the least likely to believe that Romania is prepared to face a Russian attack.
74.4% of those surveyed agree that Romania should increase its defense budget in order to be able to cope with threats and fulfill its obligations as a NATO member state, while 21.2% are against it. 4% do not know or do not answer.
Those who agree that Romania should increase its defense budget are mainly: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, residents of Bucharest and small towns. Those who disagree with increasing the defense budget are mainly: AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, residents of large cities, and public sector employees.
Introduction of compulsory military service
67.1% of survey participants agree with the introduction of compulsory military service in Romania (compared to 58.4% in May 2015). 30.5% are against it (compared to 31.1% in May 2015), and 2.4% do not know or do not answer (compared to 10.5% in May 2015).
Those who agree with the introduction of compulsory military service in Romania are mainly: AUR voters, people over 60, those with primary education, and rural residents. Those who disagree are mainly: PSD, PNL, and AUR voters, men, people aged 18-44, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and private sector employees.
Increasing the level of preparedness of Romanians (I)
When asked if they agree with organizing shooting exercises in high school classes as a measure to increase preparedness in case of war, 48.1% of respondents say yes, 48.8% are against, 2.9% do not know, and 0.3% do not answer.
Those who agree with organizing shooting exercises in high school classes as a measure to increase preparedness in case of war are mainly: AUR voters, men, people over 45, and rural residents. Opposed to this idea are: USR voters, women, people between 18 and 44 years old, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and private sector employees.
Increasing the level of preparedness of Romanians (II)
Regarding the introduction of courses for drone operators in high schools and technical colleges as part of measures to prepare citizens for war, 80.8% of those surveyed agree with this initiative, 16.2% disagree, 2.9% do not know, and 0.1% do not respond.
Those who agree with the introduction of courses for drone operators in high schools and technical colleges are mainly: PNL and USR voters, people with higher education, and public sector employees. Those who oppose such an initiative are mainly: PSD voters, people between 18 and 44 years old, those with primary education, and residents of Bucharest.
Increasing the level of preparedness of Romanians (III)
92.7% of Romanians agree with the organization of first aid courses for people between the ages of 15 and 60 as a measure to increase citizens’ preparedness in case of war, while 4.6% are against it, 2.5% do not know, and 0.2% do not respond.
Those who agree with organizing first aid courses for people between the ages of 15 and 60 are mainly USR voters and those with higher education. Those who disagree are mainly PSD voters, people between the ages of 30 and 44, and those with primary education.
72.9% of those surveyed believe that Romania should shoot down Russian drones flying over Romanian territory, while 19.9% disagree. 7.1% do not know or do not respond.
Those who believe that Romania should shoot down Russian drones flying over Romanian territory are mainly: PSD and PNL voters, men, people over 60, and residents of Bucharest. Those who oppose shooting down Russian drones are mainly: people aged 30 to 44, those with primary education, rural residents, and private sector employees.
44.7% of Romanians indicate TV stations as the source of information/news they use constantly. 25% mention social networks, 17.8% news websites, and 5.9% radio. 2.8% prefer discussions with close friends, while 1.4% use WhatsApp. The non-response rate is 2.5%.
TV stations are indicated as the source of information/news that is used most consistently by: PSD voters, people over 45, those with primary education, and rural residents. AUR voters, young people under 30, Bucharest residents, and private sector employees get most of their information from social media. News websites are the main source of information/news, especially for: PNL and USR voters, people between 18 and 44 years old, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and public sector employees.
Methodology: The survey was conducted by INSCOP Research at the request of New Strategy Center. The data was collected between January 28 and February 6, 2026. Research method: questionnaire-based interview. The data was collected using the CATI ( ) method, with a sample size of 1,100 people. The sample is representative of the significant socio-demographic categories (gender, age, occupation) for the non-institutionalized population of Romania, aged 18 and over. The maximum permissible error of the data is ± 3%, with a confidence level of 95%.
Download graphical presentation: 19.02.2026 Survey report NSC – INSCOP Research – 4 years of war in Ukraine
