Survey: Doctors enjoy highest degree of trust in Romania, but half of respondents question vaccines

Around 54% of Romanians have a lot or very much trust in doctors. At the same time, half of Romanians disagree or are hesitant when it comes to the safety of vaccines, according to a new Poll/Int Romania Barometer conducted by the Political Rating Agency (ARP)

According to the survey, 72.1% of Romanians believe that Romania is heading in the wrong direction, while only 16.9% believe that the country is moving in a good direction. Another 11% did not express an opinion.

Compared with April, the public perception has changed very little, indicating that dissatisfaction with the country's direction remains at a high level. The authors of the report emphasized that the lack of trust is not limited to the political class, but affects several areas of society, as cited by Digi24.

Asked who they trust the most, Romanians first indicated doctors. More than half of respondents (54.1%) say they have a lot or very much trust in this professional category.

Teachers rank second, with 48.9%. Far behind are private companies (27.5%), banks (27.4%), town halls (27.3%) and foreign investors (24.9%). The press is trusted by only 16.2% of respondents, while influencers and social media content creators rank last, with only 7.7%.

The report also showed important differences between population groups. For example, young people have less trust in the press and more trust in influencers, while people over the age of 60 show the opposite tendency. In addition, people aged between 40 and 60 have a lower level of trust in doctors and teachers compared with other age groups.

The barometer showed that only 56.7% of respondents believed that vaccines are generally safe. The rest either disagreed or hesitated to provide a clear answer, which, according to the authors, indicates a significant erosion of trust in vaccination.

Regarding children's immunization, the level of support is higher. Almost two-thirds of respondents (64.9%) believe that it is important for children to receive vaccines recommended by doctors. Even so, more than one-third of survey participants do not express firm agreement with this statement. Trust in vaccines was lower in rural areas, among people with lower levels of education, and among AUR voters or undecided voters.

The survey also revealed a high level of distrust regarding the quality of products sold in Romania. Around 52.8% of respondents said that international products sold in Romanian stores are of lower quality than those sold in Western countries.

Only 20.3% believed they are at the same level, and 6.5% said that products in Romania are actually of better quality than those in Western countries.

According to the report's conclusions, the population's level of trust is closely linked to electoral preferences.

The survey was conducted between June 30 and July 3, 2026, on a representative sample of 1,774 adults, through telephone and online interviews. The maximum margin of error is ±2.8%.

radu@romania-insider.com

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