Reveal Marketing Research Study – Europe Day: 55% know that it is celebrated on May 9, but only 37% know its historical significance

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 194

The latest study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed  to explore Romanians’ perceptions of May 9 – Europe Day – and the way Romania’s membership in the European Union is viewed.

• 55% of Romanians in urban areas know that Europe Day is celebrated on May 9, but only 37% know its historical significance – the Schuman Declaration and the beginning of the European construction.
• 7 out of 10 Romanians believe that EU membership has benefited Romania.
• 35% of Romanians say they have great and very high trust in the EU.
• The main advantages of Romania’s membership in the EU are access to European funds (65%), freedom of movement (58%), access to education and work in other EU countries (48%) and increased living standards (32%).
• Perceived disadvantages of Romania’s membership in the EU include the policies imposed by Brussels (54%), inequalities between member countries (48%), labor emigration (43%) and the costs of contributing to the EU budget (36%).

May 9, Europe Day: 55% know the date, only 37% know its historical significance

Data from the latest study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research show that 55% of Romanians in urban areas know that Europe Day is celebrated on May 9, while 35% admit that they do not know the exact date.

The analysis by demographic segments reveals that men (59%) are better informed compared to women (50%), and the highest degree of information is observed both among young people aged 18-24 (61%) and among people over 55 years old (62%).

As for the significance of Europe Day, only 37% of Romanians correctly indicate the Schuman Declaration – the beginning of the European construction, while 33% say they don’t know, and 20% mention another moment in the history of the EU – the Lisbon Treaty.

As a trend, young people between 18-24 years old and people over 55 years old are the best informed about the significance of Europe Day, both categories registering scores 11% higher than the total sample.

Participation in Europe Day events is limited among Romanians, with only 17% taking part in such events over time, especially young people between 18-24 years old (29%) and those with incomes over 6000 lei (24%).

“We see from the study data that  demographic extremes – young people between 18-24 years old and people over 55 years old – tend to be more informed about Europe Day and to show a more pro-European attitude. For young people, EU membership is a symbol of opportunities, while for people over 55 it is more of a symbol of freedom, given their experiences during the communist period, marked by restrictions and isolation,” said Marius Luican, General Manager of Reveal Marketing Research.

Romanians trust international institutions more than national ones

Measuring the level of trust of Romanians in relation to various institutions, we notice that Romanians’ trust is significantly higher in international institutions than in national ones.

The Romanian Government and Parliament are at the bottom of the ranking in terms of public trust, both registering a similar score of only 9% level of high and very high trust. This is followed by justice (10%), the press (13%) and the Constitutional Court (16%).

On the other hand, NATO and the European Union enjoy a more favorable image among Romanians. Thus, 35% say they have great and very high trust in  the EU, and 40% in NATO.

Young people between 18-24 years old stand out for an increased level of trust in the EU (44%), and as far as NATO is concerned, the highest scores are recorded both among young people between 18-24 years old (52%) and mature people over 55 years old (48%).

The European institutions benefit from a moderate level of trust: 29% of Romanians say they have great and very high trust in the European Commission, and 25% in the European Parliament.

The main benefits of Romania’s membership in the EU: European funds (65%), freedom of movement (58%) and education and work opportunities in the member countries (48%)

7 out of 10 Romanians believe that EU membership has benefited Romania. The positive perception is significantly higher among young people between 18–24 years old (79% compared to 67% total sample) and people with incomes over 6000 lei (80%).

Romanians associate  EU membership with benefits such as access to European funds (65%), freedom of movement (58%), access to education and work in other member countries (48%) and a higher standard of living (32%).

As a trend, people over 55 years old value more access to European funds (77%) and freedom of movement (68%), while young people between 18–24 years old consider education and work opportunities in other EU countries (48%), as well as increasing living standards (40%) more important.

On the other hand, critical perceptions of the EU Include policies imposed from Brussels (54%), inequalities between member countries (48%), labour emigration (43%) and costs of contributing to the EU budget (36%).

Despite these perceived disadvantages, 60% of Romanians would opt for Romania to remain in the EU in the event of a possible referendum, while 17% would support leaving the EU, and 23% are undecided or would not participate in the vote.

 

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About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 16 years.

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 194: Reveal Market Resources is a data hub that includes free studies published in order to support the marketing and communication market in Romania.

Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between 16.04-24.04.2025 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, in urban areas. The sample size was 1017 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.