Moldova

Key findings in 2016

Percentage of respondents that agree or strongly agree with the following statements	Moldova	Transition region average	Germany	Italy
Economic situation better than 4 years ago	8	24	33	7
Political situation better than 4 years ago	4	28	17	9
Household lives better than 4 years ago	22	29	28	10
There is less corruption than 4 years ago	10	23	16	10
Satisfied with personal financial situation	17	31	55	33

Satisfaction with the situation at the country level and with personal circumstances

Only 8 and 4 per cent of respondents, respectively, believe that the economic and political situation in Moldova was better in 2016 than four years prior to the survey. These figures are some of the lowest in the transition region, below the corresponding averages for eastern Europe and the Caucasus (EEC) and the overall averages for the transition countries. Moreover, only 10 per cent of those surveyed think that there was less corruption in 2016 than four years before the survey, a figure in line with Italy but lower than the numbers reported for EEC, the transition region and Germany (at 16, 23 and 16 per cent, respectively).

Only one in five respondents believe that their households lived better in 2016 than they did in the four years before the survey. In addition, a mere 17 per cent of respondents report that they are satisfied with their current personal financial situation, a number significantly below the transition region average of 31 per cent but on a par with the regional average of 17 per cent for EEC.

Life satisfaction in Moldova is the second lowest in the transition region. It has dropped by 6 percentage points since the last survey round, from 30 per cent in 2010 to 24 per cent in 2016, and it is now 19 percentage points below the transition region average. The decline in life satisfaction was especially pronounced among respondents aged 18 to 39. Data also show that there is a positive correlation between reported life satisfaction and one’s income bracket: 47 per cent of those in the upper income group report being satisfied with their life as opposed to only 18 per cent of the poorest respondents.

Optimism in a better future for the younger generation has dropped by 8 percentage points since 2010 and remains below the average for the transition region (50 per cent) at 34 per cent.

 

Attitudes towards democracy and the market economy

Support for democracy has weakened since the last survey, from 53 per cent in 2010 to 43 per cent in 2016. About 30 per cent of respondents express indifference as to the type of political system that should prevail in Moldova, while one in three respondents would favour, under some circumstances, authoritarianism. In addition, 45 per cent of those surveyed support a market economy and another 29 per cent do not have a clear preference for the type of economic system that should prevail in the country. Lastly, when asked a hypothetical question about whether they would rather live in a country with full political liberties but weak economic growth (country B) or in one with limited freedoms and stronger growth (country A), over 90 per cent of Moldovans reported that they would prefer country A.

When asked which democratic institutions exist in Moldova, only 29 per cent of respondents indicated that gender equality is in place in the country, followed by freedom of speech, peace and stability, a strong political opposition and free elections, at 16, 15, 12 and 11 per cent, respectively. These are among the lowest figures reported in the entire transition region.

 

Priorities for government spending

Government spending on health care should be the first funding priority according to 44 per cent of Moldovan respondents, the sixth highest value in the transition region. In addition, 25 per cent of the population believe that the government should prioritise additional investments in education, while 12 per cent of those surveyed see extra expenditure on pensions as the top priority. Additional results show that around 70 and 67 per cent of those surveyed would be willing to pay more taxes to improve the quality of the public health system and public education, respectively.

 

Sources of information

The main daily sources of information for Moldovans are television and radio, used each day by 59 per cent of the population, and discussions with family, friends or colleagues, mentioned by 51 per cent of respondents. Internet and social media usage has doubled since the last survey, from 20 per cent in 2010 to 40 per cent in 2016, and is now above the transition region average and in line with the corresponding values for the Western comparators. Newspapers and magazines are read on a daily basis by approximately 7 per cent of the interviewed respondents, below the corresponding figures for the transition region, Germany and Italy, but above the EEC average.

 

Self-assessed health

Moldova reports one of the lowest levels of positive health self-assessments in the transition region, with only 43 per cent of respondents considering their health to be “good” or “very good”. Self-assessed health is negatively correlated with age and positively with one’s income. Additional analysis of the LiTS III data shows that, compared to 2010, there has been an increase of 7 points in the percentage of Moldovans who believe themselves to be in good health.

 

Quality of public services

The majority of Moldovans are satisfied with the quality of public services in their country, with the only exceptions being local roads, which cause dissatisfaction to 81 per cent of those surveyed. The remaining figures range from an 84 per cent satisfaction rate for the quality of telephone lines to a 68 per cent satisfaction rate for the quality of heating services.

 

Social and economic mobility

When respondents were asked from a list of options what they thought were the most important factors for success in life in their country, 65 per cent of Moldovans chose “effort and hard work”, the third highest percentage for that specific response option in the transition region, while 17 per cent of those surveyed opted for “intelligence and skills”. An additional 11 per cent of Moldovan respondents answered “political contacts”.

 

Attitudes towards women

85 per cent of interviewed respondents think it is important for their daughter to achieve a university education, while 85 and 83 per cent of female and male respondents, respectively, believe that women are as competent as men as business executives. However, 42 and 57 per cent of female and male respondents, respectively, think that men make better political leaders than women. In addition, about 44 per cent of respondents of either gender think that a woman should do the household chores, even if her husband is not working, and around 65 per cent favour a traditional family arrangement where the man works and the woman takes care of the house and children.