Preferred type of democratic regime

47.2% of survey participants believe democracy is preferable, even if it sometimes involves more conflicts and political debates, while 46.3% say a less democratic system may be preferable if it ensures greater order and stability. 6.5% do not know or do not answer.

Among PNL and USR voters, men, people under 30, those with higher education, and residents of large cities, a significantly higher-than-average share say they prefer democracy.

AUR voters, people aged 45 to 59, those with primary education and rural residents prefer a less democratic system because it ensures greater order and stability at a higher rate than the rest of the population.

Agreement with statements

60.6% of respondents believe it is more important for power to be democratically controlled, even if decisions are made more slowly. At the opposite end, 29.5% think it is more important for decisions to be made quickly, even if power is less democratically controlled. The share of non-responses is 9.8%.

Those who say it is more important for power to be democratically controlled at a higher-than-average rate include PNL and USR voters, people aged 45 to 59, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and of large cities.

Those who say it is more important for decisions to be made quickly at a significantly higher rate than the rest of the population include AUR voters, people aged 30 to 44, those with primary education and rural residents.

Methodology: The data were collected between 13 and 16 July 2026. Research method: questionnaire-based interview. The data were collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), with a simple random sample of 1,100 people, representative of the significant socio-demographic categories (sex, age, occupation) of Romania’s non-institutionalised population aged 18 and over. The maximum margin of error is ±2.95%, at a 95% confidence level.

The graphical presentation of the data is available here.

Remus Ștefureac, INSCOP Research director: “The results of the Informat.ro – INSCOP Barometer indicate a worrying level of erosion in attachment to democratic values. Although the current context – marked by political instability, economic difficulties and declining trust – inevitably influences public perceptions, the fact that nearly half of Romanians believe a less democratic regime may be preferable if it ensures order and stability goes beyond simple situational dissatisfaction. At the same time, the majority continue to support democratic control of power even at the cost of a slower decision-making process, which shows that democratic principles still retain an important basis of legitimacy. The tension between these two attitudes reflects the existence of a vulnerable democratic culture, in which a significant part of society is willing to relativize democratic norms when they perceive that these no longer provide order, efficiency and stability, or when mistrust in the fairness of elections persists among important groups of the population. The evolution of these indicators over time will be essential in distinguishing between the temporary effects of the current crisis and a possible structural deterioration in attachment to democracy. Younger people support democracy in greater numbers, while AUR voters and people with primary education, or those in rural areas, prefer a less democratic system that nevertheless ensures more order and stability.”

Source: TVR