The study also showed that people on low incomes are less patriotic than those on higher incomes. Meanwhile, 4 out of 10 Romanians believe that patriotism means loving one’s country unconditionally, 3 out of 10 said that patriotism is about respect for one’s ancestors, while a quarter referred to the fact that Romanians are offended when their country’s image is discredited abroad. The ISRA Center’s study also shows that very few people believe that patriotism refers to acknowledging the benefits of one’s country.

Romanians believe themselves to be hospitable, adaptable, generous, hard working, but also hypercritical. A quarter of respondents believe that the Romanian people are kind hearted, and a quarter say their fellow citizens are negligent. “Grin and bear it”, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” and “Leave it as it is, it’ll do” are the sayings that best describe Romanians’ character, according the survey. The study also shows that only 8% of respondents believe Romanians are proud of their nationality and 18% agreed that their fellow citizens are happy with their country, even if things go badly.

In recent years, the Romanian media has tried to repair their country’s image abroad, as well as at home, launching campaigns like “Why do I love Romania” and “Romania, I love you”. These campaigns promote Romanians who have changed the world, while encouraging the population to love their country and show pride in being Romanian. “I love Romania because I’m Romanian”, says Ion Tiriac, a man who has known success on and off the tennis court. The former sportsman, now a businessman, says that whether he likes it or not, Romania is his country, and feeling should not be judged. The same goes for Gheorghe Hagi, the football legend who won the hearts of 23 million Romanians. He said, “Your homeland is where you were born, and you owe a great deal to it”.