81% of respondents think that Romania’s entry into NATO was a good thing, 82% think that the allies would defend Romania in case of aggression

An IRES survey carried out in March sought to identify the perceptions of Romanians towards the political-military alliance whose establishment marks 75 years and analyzed their attitudes regarding the general climate in Romania and the region, in the context of the war in Ukraine .

The study, carried out by telephone, shows that 81% of respondents believe that Romania’s entry into NATO was a good thing, and 82% of respondents believe that the allies would defend Romania in case of aggression.

NATO enjoys high notoriety in Romania, but the topic of NATO is of relatively low interest for Romanian citizens. Although one out of two Romanians declares to be informed about NATO’s activity, in reality there is a major information deficit in this direction. Only 7% of the survey participants correctly indicate the year of Romania’s entry into NATO.

Romania’s presence in NATO is perceived by Romanians as a correct and beneficial decision for our country which is now seen as better defended, in its capacity as a NATO ally, with a better trained and better equipped army and with external relations more solid.

Among the minuses of belonging to the military organization are partially mentioned the deterioration of the relationship with Russia and the need to spend more money on defense. The participation of the Romanian military in NATO’s theaters of operations is seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

The majority of Romanians are convinced that art. 5 will work if Romania is attacked, although 14% of respondents have reservations that the All for one, one for all principle will work in the case of Romania. The situation is relatively similar if Romania were to be asked to intervene for another NATO country, with the proportion of skeptics increasing to almost 30%.

Concern about the possibility of a war in the region is present among Romanians. More than half of Romanians support Romania’s involvement in the event of a NATO-Russia conflict.

More than a third of the participants in the IRES study (36%) say that they are very worried about the possibility that Romania will be involved in a military conflict in the coming years. One out of four Romanians says they are quite worried about this aspect, while four out of 10 are a little or not at all worried.

More than four out of ten Romanians (47%) believe in the possibility of NATO entering into a military conflict with Russia in the near future. A third (36%) think this hypothesis is unlikely, and 13% think it is not possible.

In the event of a NATO-Russia conflict, more than half of Romanians (54%) believe that Romania should get involved. 42% support the opposite.

In the event of the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and the involvement of NATO, almost four in 10 (38%) male respondents say they would enlist as a volunteer or reservist (as applicable) to defend their country. 44% would choose to stay in the country, but not join the army, and 9% of the interviewees say they would leave Romania in this case. Another 9% chose not to answer or said they did not know the answer to this question.

The survey was conducted by telephone on 1,058 respondents between March 24-27, 2024, with a maximum tolerated error of 3%.