Antisemitism is a reality that must be taken seriously, according to a survey conducted between 1 and 15 November by Social Monitor, commissioned by the Elie Wiesel Institute, regarding perceptions of ethnic minorities, Holocaust memory and the spread of extremist discourse in Romania.
'We wanted to find out whether there have been changes in the perceptions, opinions and attitudes of the Romanian public concerning the ways in which antisemitism manifests or is fuelled in Romania, especially after these nearly two years marked by an electoral period during which the far right has had particularly forceful manifestations. (...) This is the first survey in which, since 2002 when we began conducting these studies, new aspects appear that indeed underline an intensification of antisemitic attitudes or opinions in Romanian society. For us, this explains at least in part the fact that antisemitism plays a role, alongside other factors, in the strategies pursued by far-right groups or civic or political movements in Romania to mobilise segments of society,' stresses Professor Alexandru Florian, PhD., President of the 'Elie Wiesel' National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania.
The survey, presented at a press conference by Social Monitor representative Professor Daniel Buti, 'records for the first time that Jews have moved into first place in the ranking of ethnic minorities rejected by the majority.'
Thus, 11% (5% in 2021) express 'fear' of Jews while fear of Roma decreases to 31% (38% in 2021). Also, 26% (19% in 2021) of respondents opt for a temporary presence or total absence of Jews in Romania, whereas for Roma this form of rejection totals 15% (19% in 2021).
Another finding concerns the 'distorted perception of the Holocaust in Romania.' For the first time in the 18 years since the first survey, the question 'In which countries did the Holocaust take place?' was open and therefore responses were spontaneous. Only 5% of respondents indicated Romania.
In respondents' views Germany remains the main party responsible for the extermination of Jews and Roma from Romania (32% in 2025, 53% in 2021) followed by Ion Antonescu (16% in 2025, 31% in 2021) and now a new actor appears, the Legionary Movement, with 29% of responses.
Ion Antonescu 'has a distorted image with a tendency towards rehabilitation as a saviour political leader.' Thus Antonescu is described as a military strategist - 73%, a patriot - 66%, a saviour of Jews - 36%, a democratic leader - 35%. He is also a war criminal - 55%, a dictator - 52% and led Romania to disaster - 40%. 'Compared with the 2021 survey all these indicators have seen significant increases,' the authors mention.
According to the same survey, the image of the Legionary Movement is accurate from a historical perspective. It is characterised as a 'criminal organisation - 71%, fascist - 57%, antisemitic - 57%, anti-communist - 55%, terrorist - 46%.'
New direct or indirect sources of antisemitism form part of today's 'fears' which can easily be manipulated by so-called sovereignist groups. The actors perceived as posing a danger to Romania are Russia - 56%, globalism - 47%, international corporations - 45%, the European Union - 41%, China - 40% and the United States - 36%. Added to these are agreement with the following statements: Jews dominate the world - 47%, Romania is captured by Jews - 45%, Jews own three million flats in Romania - 42% and Soros is pushing Romania towards war - 36%, the survey further shows.
'The sociological investigation was carried out on a nationally representative sample of 1,004 interviewed persons, taking into account Romania's non-institutionalised adult population, validated with National Institute of Statistics data, with a tolerated error of 3%. (...) We come after a politically charged electoral period marked by increased social polarisation and political discourse which reached exactly the dimension that interested us in this survey. The main conclusion is that there is a perception that antisemitic discourse among political leaders is on the rise. What we observed is that the public does not associate this discourse with only certain parties but with most of them. In response to the question In your opinion, are there political leaders in Romania who at present have antisemitic messages?' most respondents, 58%, answered Yes, political leaders have antisemitic messages',' said Daniel Buti.
According to him, compared with data collected in 2025 versus 2021, there is an noticeable increase in the share of the population believing that there are political leaders who currently express antisemitic messages.
'In 2021, 43% of respondents considered this to be the case whereas in 2025 this percentage rises to 58%. We asked respondents from which parties these political leaders with antisemitic messages come. Here are the factual answers: 49% - AUR [Alliance for Romanians' Union], 32% - S.O.S. Romania, 32% - PSD [Social Democratic Party], 26% - POT [Young People's Party], 21% - USR [Save Romania Union], 19% - PNL [National Liberal Party]. The standout figures are those for AUR, rising from 35% in 2021 to 49% in 2025, and PSD, rising from 16% in 2021 to 32% in 2025. We also see a doubling in the case of USR, from 11% to 21%,' Buti detailed.
Of all respondents 55% live in urban areas and 45% in rural areas according to the survey, which is available on the Elie Wiesel Institute website.
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