Over 55 pct of Romanians believe in coronavirus existence, whilst 12 pct say it is a fake

Over 55 pct of Romanians believe in the existence of the novel coronavirus, whilst 33 pct have doubts about its existence, and 12 pct believe it is a fake, found a survey by market research company Novel Research, conducted at the initiative of Provident Financial Romania.

Perception varies depending on the place of residence. Whereas among urban Romanians the percentage of those who believe that the virus is a fake is less than 7 pct, in rural areas the percentage is double, more than 16 pct.

The survey was conducted between July 15-22 on a representative sample of 1,003 people.

Asked about their trust in information sources, most Romanians say they trust the discussions they have with their friends and family (56.5 pct), then the discussions with their colleagues (37.9 pct) or in Government releases (36.2 pct). Romanians show the greatest lack of confidence in information from celebrities, vloggers or bloggers (43.5 pct), social media (32.5 pct) and TV (28.5 pct).

Provident Financial Romania is part of the British group International Personal Finance (IPF), the largest provider of home loans in Europe.