Download the graphical presentation: 09.09.2026 Informat.ro – Inscop Barometer Part II
According to the 14th edition of the Informat.ro – INSCOP Research BAROMETER, conducted between September 1 and 7, 2026, Romanians are divided in their assessments of how well prepared schools are for the start of the new school year, while majorities support the introduction of school uniforms, audio-video monitoring and drug testing.
The Informat.ro – INSCOP Research BAROMETER is a monthly public opinion survey conducted by INSCOP Research on behalf of the news platform Informat.ro, in partnership with the Strategic Thinking Group think tank.
The Informat.ro – INSCOP Research BAROMETER aims to bring issues of public interest to the forefront and stimulate nationwide conversations on a wide range of topics and public policies that are essential to Romania’s present and future, starting from the views of Romanian citizens and working in partnership with leading think tanks and academic institutions. Through this initiative, we seek to contribute to strengthening democracy by using scientific and credible research tools that place citizens’ voices at the center of public debate.
Methodology: The data were collected between September 1 and 7, 2026. Research method: questionnaire-based interviews. Data collection was carried out using CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing). The simple random sample consisted of 1,100 respondents and was representative of Romania’s non-institutionalized population aged 18 and over across key socio-demographic categories (gender, age and occupation). The maximum margin of error is ±2.95%, at a 95% confidence level.
Remus Ștefureac, Director of INSCOP Research: “The data point to a society that is deeply divided over the ability of the education system to provide adequate preparation, but highly decisive when it comes to introducing stricter rules in schools. The strong support for drug testing and audio-video monitoring suggests that, in the public perception, children’s safety tends to take precedence over concerns regarding individual autonomy or privacy. This is an important indication of the level of social concern surrounding the school environment and of the expectation that institutions should intervene more firmly to prevent risks. School uniforms appear to be viewed less as a disciplinary tool and more as a means of reducing visible social differences among children. The consistently high level of support for uniforms indicates strong public sensitivity to inequalities that manifest themselves within schools. Beyond reducing discrimination, the result may also point to a broader need for order, predictability and shared standards in the school environment.”
Level of School Preparedness
45.3% of survey participants believe that schools in Romania are very well or quite well prepared for the start of the new school year (8% very well prepared and 37.3% quite well prepared), while 45.5% believe that schools are rather poorly or very poorly prepared (25.4% rather poorly prepared and 20.1% very poorly prepared). 8.5% do not know / cannot assess, while 0.7% did not answer.
PSD and AUR voters, people aged 30–44, residents of large urban areas and public-sector employees are more likely than the population overall to believe that Romanian schools are well prepared for the start of the new school year. USR voters, young people aged 18–29, residents of Bucharest and small urban areas, and private-sector employees are more likely than the sample average to believe that schools are poorly prepared for the start of the new school year.
School Uniforms
77% of respondents believe that mandatory school uniforms would reduce discrimination among students to a very great or fairly great extent (52.9% to a very great extent and 24.1% to a fairly great extent). By contrast, 20.6% express little or no agreement with this measure (8.1% to a fairly small extent and 12.5% to a very small extent / not at all). Non-responses account for 2.4%.
PSD and AUR voters, women, people aged 60 and over, those with primary education and public-sector employees are more likely than the population overall to believe that mandatory school uniforms would reduce discrimination. People aged 45 and over, those with primary or secondary education, residents of large urban areas and public-sector employees are more likely than average to believe that school uniforms would not reduce discrimination.
Introduction of Drug Testing
83.4% of respondents agree to a very great or fairly great extent with introducing drug testing among students over the age of 14 (60.8% to a very great extent and 22.6% to a fairly great extent). By contrast, 15.2% express little or no agreement with such a measure (5% to a fairly small extent and 10.2% to a very small extent / not at all). The share of respondents who do not know or did not answer is 1.4%.
AUR voters, people aged over 45, those with secondary education, TikTok users and public-sector employees support the introduction of drug testing in schools at higher rates than the population overall. USR voters, young people aged 18–29, those with higher education and residents of Bucharest are more likely than average to oppose drug testing for students over the age of 14.
Audio-Video Monitoring
74.5% of respondents agree to a very great or fairly great extent that classrooms should be continuously monitored using audio and video surveillance (51% to a very great extent and 23.5% to a fairly great extent). By contrast, 22.8% agree only to a fairly small or very small extent / not at all with this measure (7.5% to a fairly small extent and 15.3% to a very small extent / not at all). Non-responses account for 2.7%.
PSD and AUR voters, women, people aged 60 and over, those with primary or secondary education, rural residents and TikTok users support continuous audio-video monitoring in classrooms at above-average rates. USR voters, young people aged 18–29, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest, residents of urban areas with more than 90,000 inhabitants, Instagram users and private-sector employees are more likely than the population overall to oppose the measure.
Download the graphical presentation:09.09.2026 Informat.ro – Inscop Barometer Part II
