Romanians believe their quality of life has declined since the communist era. This is the unexpected outcome of a survey conducted by the INSCOP research institution.
The findings were released one month before the symbolic „Romanian Revolution” anniversary of December 1989.
57% of Romanians feel their quality of life has declined since the communist era
The research is a component of the „Romania Agenda 2050” initiative, which aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the nation’s future course. Universities, other thinking groups, and research organizations are some of the project’s collaborators, including Bucharest University and „Babes Bolyai” University of Cluj.
What’s more alarming is that the poll, done in May–June and September–October at two distinct times, reveals that Romanians believe the country’s condition is worsening. Only 54% of those surveyed in May believed that conditions were better under communism than they were now, however, by September, this percentage had risen to 57%.
Currently, 57% of the populace believes that the nation is worse off than before the so-called „Romanian Revolution” of 1989, when Nicolae Ceausescu, the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party, was detained and murdered.
Romania appeared different 33 years after that incident, but Romanians had bigger aspirations than that.
”Those of the mature generation are disappointed by the gap between their expectations in 1989 and what has happened. On the other hand, there are young people who don’t know much about what was before 1989, about what society was like. For example, no one thinks that almost everything was deprived from Romanians in 1989, no freedom of movement, standard of living extremely low, No basic things, such as permanent access to electricity, fuel or food”
Marin Preda, Bucharest University rector
Does anybody ponder why Romanians are unsatisfied with their lives now?
How history keeps repeating itself is amusing because political bodies don’t offer the transparency needed by the poeple to trust and support its vision and actions. In 1989, Romanians struggled to get food and endured harsh living conditions in their dwellings since neither the heating nor the power was continuously on. The communist government conserved money to pay off the foreign debt, and as a result, Romania eventually became one of the few nations without an external debt.
On the other hand, Romanians in 2022 enjoy plenty of food, whilst inflation is eroding their buying power. Since the heating system failed in numerous cities, including Bucharest, some apartments are still unheated. Mayors come and go, making empty promises to improve the situation. Although there are very few technical shortages and energy is always on, as winter nears, Romanians are worried about their electrical costs.
Is communism a superior system to democracy? Although we have our doubts, it is certain that once communism crumbled in Romania, expectations were great and have not yet been satisfied. From this viewpoint, the present energy crisis, the proximity of the war in Ukraine, and the way other members of the „European family” approach Romania will not be encouraging.
