Europeans’ perception of the economy
Declining living standards and poverty rank among the main economic anxieties for people in Romania, with concerns running significantly higher than the European Union average.
Mihai Pelin, 06.10.2026, 13:50
Falling living standards and poverty are the foremost reasons for concern for Romanians, and their apprehensions are more pronounced than in most European Union member states. This is the conclusion of the Eurobarometer on Europeans’ perception of the economy, processed by the Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania.
The findings indicate that Romanians are also deeply concerned about the prospect of no longer being able to afford essential utilities, food or medical care. 62% of respondents say they are worried about declining living standards, compared to an EU-wide average of 40%. At the same time, 48% of Romanians are anxious about poverty, against a European average of 32%.
According to the study’s authors, these figures reflect an ongoing precarious economic situation in Romania and other countries across Southern and Eastern Europe. Poland is a notable exception, where 21% of respondents report concerns about poverty and 36% about falling living standards.
These worries are compounded by fears over goods and services that Romanians worry they will not be able to afford over the coming year, led by travel at 45%. This is followed closely by utilities such as energy and water bills (44%) and medical care (44%). Anxiety also extends to basic foodstuffs, with 40% of Romanians believing they will be priced out of buying them within the next year.
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation Romania notes that comparable figures are found in Ireland, Greece and Portugal. By contrast, basic categories such as food, housing and utilities do not rank among major concerns in Germany, France or Italy. In those nations, access to less essential services, such as travel, entertainment or eating out, represents the primary source of concern.
Regarding the wider macroeconomic outlook, 50% of Romanians view the current state of the national economy as bad, a quarter consider it neither good nor bad, and just over a fifth deem it good. These views broadly align with the average perception of European citizens regarding their home countries.
However, when asked to assess their personal economic situation, responses mirrored the EU benchmark: 34% of Romanians consider their financial standing good (compared to a 36% EU average), 38% view it as neither good nor bad (35% EU average), and 27% report a bad personal economic situation (matching the 27% EU average).
Furthermore, the pessimism held by a significant share of the population extends to future generations. 42% believe that today’s children will face lower living standards in adulthood than their parents, a figure close to the 45% EU average. Overall, pessimism regarding the future is more pronounced in Western European nations such as Germany (46%), France (56%) and Italy (52%), whereas Eastern European countries like Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland tend to be more optimistic, hovering around 26% to 27%. (VP)
