Download graphical presentation: 19.03.2026 National Security Barometer
On March 19, at the Palace of Parliament, the sociological study “National Security Barometer” was presented during an event organized by newmoney.ro, the Aspen Institute Romania (AIR) and Strategic Thinking Group.
Metodology: The The research conducted by INSCOP Research at the request of Strategic Thinking Group included two waves of collection, during February 23-27, 2026, and March 3-13, 2026, respectively. Research method: interview via questionnaire. The data were collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), and the sample size was 1100 people for each survey. The samples are representative of 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 ± 2.9%, at a confidence level of 95%.
When asked whether Romania is currently a safe or unsafe country in terms of national security, 17.9% of Romanians said it was very safe, 33.2% said it was somewhat safe, 27% said it was somewhat unsafe, and 19.4% said it was very unsafe. The proportion of non-responses is 2.4%.
Those who consider Romania to be a safe country in terms of national security are mainly: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas. The following groups believe that Romania is an unsafe country more than the rest of the population: AUR voters, women, people over 60, people with primary education, and rural residents.
36.5% of respondents believe that corruption is the main threat to Romania’s national security. 18.9% mention disinformation and manipulation of public opinion (fake news, influencing democratic processes), 10.8% economic instability, 8.1% foreign political influence, and 7.8% a military attack (external aggression against the territory). The energy crisis is mentioned by 4.3% of responders, cyberattacks (on critical infrastructure: power grids, banks, hospitals) – 2.5%, acts of terrorism and sabotage – 2%, espionage – 0.6%, and 2% cite another threat. The share of non-responses is 6.5%.
Romania’s involvement in a war
36.9% of survey participants say they are very concerned about the possibility of Romania’s involvement in a war in the coming years (compared to 31% in February). 31.1% are somewhat concerned (compared to 33.1% in February), 6.1% are somewhat unconcerned (compared to 5.2% in February), and 25.2% say they are very little concerned or not at all (compared to 29.1% in February). 0.8% do not know or do not answer (compared to 1.6% in February).
Those who are concerned about the possibility of Romania becoming involved in a war in the coming years are mainly: PSD and AUR voters, women, people aged 30 to 44, those with primary education, and rural residents. PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and private sector employees are the least concerned about such a prospect.
Political and military alliances
76.8% of those surveyed believe that Romania should orient itself towards the West – i.e. the European Union, the US, NATO, while 10.1% believe that the right direction would be towards the East – i.e. Russia, China. 13.1% do not know or do not answer.
PSD, PNL, and USR voters, young people under 30 and people over 60, and residents of Bucharest believe that Romania should orient itself towards the West more than the rest of the population. Those who believe that Romania should orient itself towards the East are mainly: AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, and private sector employees.
Romania’s withdrawal from NATO
11.8% of those interviewed believe that Romania should leave NATO (compared to 18.7% in January 2022 and 8.1% in December 2024), while 84.4% believe that the country should not leave the alliance (compared to 76.2% in January 2022 and 88.1% in December 2024). The share of non-responses is 3.8% (compared to 5.1% in January 2022 and 3.8% in December 2024).
The following groups believe that Romania should leave NATO more the rest of the population: AUR voters, people aged 30-59, rural residents, and private sector employees.
Romania’s exit from the European Union
22.2% of respondents believe that Romania should leave the European Union (compared to 25.2% in January 2022 and 9.4% in December 2024), while 74.4% oppose it (compared to 71.7% in January 2022 and 88.1% in December 2024). 3.4% do not know or do not answer (compared to 3.1% in January 2022 and 2.5% in December 2024).
Those who believe that Romania should leave the EU are mainly: AUR voters, women, and private sector employees.
Given the situation in Iran, 11.9% of Romanians believe that the military actions taken by the U.S. and Israel against Iran are very justified. 21.1% believe they are somewhat justified, 26.5% somewhat unjustified, and 21.4% very unjustified. 19% do not know or did not answer.
The expansion of France’s “Nuclear Umbrella”
In the context of discussions about expanding France’s “nuclear umbrella,” 39.3% of Romanians would agree to Romania participating in such a European project, while 51% would oppose it. 9% do not know or cannot say, and 0.7% did not respond.
The following groups agree with this European project in greater numbers than the rest of the population: PNL and USR voters, people under 30, those with a college education, and residents of Bucharest and large urban areas. Disagreement is higher than average among: AUR voters, people over 60, and residents of small towns.
Hosting of French nuclear weapons
When asked to what extent they agree or disagree with hosting French nuclear weapons on Romanian territory, 12.6% of survey participants strongly agree. 12.1% somewhat agree, 16% somewhat disagree, and 52.9% strongly disagree. 5.6% do not know or cannot say, and 0.7% did not respond.
The following groups agree with the hosting of French nuclear weapons on Romanian territory at a higher-than-average rate: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest. A higher level of disagreement compared to the rest of the population is observed among: AUR voters, people over 60, and those with a secondary education.
55.8% of respondents have a lot and quite a lot of trust in the USA, 46.8% in the UK, 41.9% in France, 41.7% in Germany and 41.6% in Poland. The Republic of Moldova benefits from a trust capital of 29.9%, Bulgaria – 29.2%, Turkey – 28.6%, and Serbia – 21.2%. The ranking ends with Hungary with 20.1%, Ukraine with 16.8%, and Russia with 12.6%.
Those who trust the US are mainly: PSD and AUR voters, people over 60 years of age. PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas tend to have the most confidence in the UK. The following groups have the most confidence in France: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, and people with higher education. PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas tend to have the most confidence in Ukraine. AUR voters, young people under 30, and private sector employees are particularly trusting of Russia.
Who would play the main role in repelling an attack?
38.3% of survey participants believe that NATO would play the main role in repelling an attack (through the activation of Article 5). 27.6% indicate the states with which Romania has bilateral strategic partnerships (such as France, Germany, or the United Kingdom), 19.6% indicate the Romanian Army, and 8.6% the European Union (through military cooperation between member states). 5.9% do not know or do not answer.
Compliance with Article 5 of the NATO
Article 5 of the NATO states that if a member country is attacked, the other countries must help it, including militarily. 75.6% of survey participants believe that if Romania were attacked, the US would comply with this obligation. Specifically, Germany – 69.4%, France – 69.3%, the United Kingdom – 63.9%, Poland – 61.7%, and Hungary – 40.6%.
Those who believe that the US would comply with its NATO obligation are mainly AUR voters and people over 60 years of age. PSD, PNL, and USR voters, men, people under 30, people with higher education, residents of the capital, and public sector employees are more likely than the rest of the population to believe that Germany would comply with Article 5 of the NATO treaty. Those who believe that France would fulfill its obligations in the event of a military attack are mainly: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of the capital, and public sector employees. PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30, people with higher education, residents of the capital, and public sector employees are more likely than the rest of the population to believe that the United Kingdom will comply with its NATO Article 5 obligation. Those who believe Poland would fulfill this obligation are mainly: PNL and USR voters, men, young people under 30 and people over 60, those with higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas, and public sector employees. Young people under 30 and public sector employees are more likely than the rest of the population to believe that Hungary will comply with its NATO Article 5 obligation.
75.6% of respondents agree that Romania should significantly increase its defense spending to protect its sovereignty in the event of military aggression, while 21.5% disagree. The proportion of non-responses is 2.9%.
Those who agree that Romania should increase its defense spending are mainly: PSD, PNL, and USR voters and people over 60. AUR voters, people between 30 and 44 years old, and private sector employees oppose the most an increase in defense spending.
The importance of investment in the defense industry
61.3% of respondents believe that it is very important for the state to support investment in the defense industry. 24.2% believe it is somewhat important, 3.4% somewhat unimportant, and 9.6% very unimportant or not important at all. 1.4% do not know or did not respond.
69.2% of respondents consider that the production of weapons and military equipment in Romania is very important. 19.5% say it is quite important, 6.3% say it is not very important, and 2.7% say it is not important at all. 2.3% do not know or did not respond.
Development of industrial and technological capabilities
69.3% of Romanians consider it very important for Romania to develop its internal industrial and technological capabilities in the defense sector. 22.1% say this is quite important, 3.6% say it is not very important, and 3.3% say it is not important at all. The share of non-responses is 1.7%.
Development of military technologies in the private sector
27.6% of survey participants say they have a lot of confidence in the Romanian private sector’s ability to develop modern military technologies. 34% say they have quite a lot of confidence, 16.9% have fairly little confidence, and 17.5% have very little or no confidence. 3.9% don’t know or don’t answer.
Solutions for ensuring national security
50% of Romanians believe that developing national technologies and production in the field of defense is the most important solution for Romania’s national security. 14.8% mention resorting to international security guarantees, and 13.3% importing military technology from allies. 12.4% believe that neutrality in terms of military alliances would be the most appropriate option. The proportion of non-responses is 9.5%.
Integration of drones into defense capabilities
When asked to what extent they agree or disagree with investments for the integration of unmanned aerial systems (drones) into Romania’s defense capabilities, 36% of those interviewed say they agree to a very large extent. 36.2% agree to a fairly large extent, 9.5% to a fairly small extent, and 14.4% to a very small extent or not at all. 4% do not know or do not answer.
Support for companies developing military technologies
When asked to what extent they believe the Romanian state should support public or private companies that invest in modern military technologies, 60.8% answered definitely yes, 27% probably yes, 3.9% probably no, and 6.1% definitely no. The share of non-responses is 2.1%.
33.4% of survey participants believe that Romania is greatly affected by hybrid warfare (disinformation, economic pressure, cyber attacks). 36.8% believe that the country is affected to a fairly large extent, 12.4% to a fairly small extent, and 12.4% to a very small extent or not at all. 5% do not know or do not answer.
32.7% of Romanians believe that the risk of serious cyber attacks on public institutions in Romania is very high, 37.5% believe it is quite high, 15.8% believe it is quite low, and 11.5% believe it is very low or non-existent. The proportion of non-responses is 2.6%.
Courses for drone operators in high schools and technical colleges
When asked whether the state should provide courses for drone operators in high schools and technical colleges, 81.4% of those interviewed agree, while 16.7% disagree. 1.9% do not know or do not answer.
Measures to detect disinformation
88.3% of survey participants believe that the state should offer citizens crisis preparedness programs that include measures for detecting disinformation, while 10% believe that the state should not provide such programs. The share of non-responses is 1.7%.
First aid measures
97.5% of respondents believe that the state should provide citizens with crisis preparedness programs that include first aid measures, while 1.7% believe that the state should not offer such programs. The share of non-responses is 0.8%.
Emergency evacuation procedures
When asked whether they believe the state should offer citizens training programs that include emergency evacuation procedures, 94.4% of Romanians agree, while 4.3% disagree. 1.4% do not know or do not respond.
Download graphical presentation: 19.03.2026 National Security Barometer