🐻 Romanians Favor Coexistence with Wildlife, DataDiggers Survey Shows

Bucharest, September 29, 2025‍

Romanian market research company DataDiggers has published the results of two nationally representative surveys (April and September 2025) on how Romanians perceive and interact with wildlife, with a focus on bears and wolves.

Fear vs. Experience: What Shapes Perceptions

The findings highlight a contrast between direct experiences and media narratives. While many Romanians are exposed to alarming headlines and frequent RO-Alert notifications, most respondents demonstrate awareness of proper behavior in wildlife encounters and support preventive measures over conflict.

📊 Key insights from the study

• 🐻 Most bear encounters occur in controlled settings, such as zoos, sanctuaries, or by the roadside.
• 👣 53% of respondents say they would quietly back away if meeting a mother bear with cubs – a response aligned with expert recommendations.
• 🎓 Specialists are the most trusted sources of information on wildlife, far ahead of politicians or media outlets.
• 🌍 Romanians prefer conservation and prevention, including better waste management, habitat protection, and environmental education.

Beyond Fear: Responsible Communication Matters

The research reveals that fear of wildlife is more often driven by media coverage and RO-Alert messages than by real encounters. Despite this, a strong majority of Romanians recognize the ecological importance of wild animals and reject drastic solutions such as extermination.

Liviu Micu, Research & Insights Manager at DataDiggers, commented:
“These surveys show that Romanians are not looking for conflict with wildlife. They value coexistence and trust specialists to guide them toward responsible solutions. It’s encouraging to see that the public understands the role of education, balanced communication, and habitat protection.”

National Spotlight: Featured by ProTV

The survey findings recently reached a wider audience when they were featured by ProTV, Romania’s leading television network, bringing the debate on human-wildlife coexistence into the national spotlight.

Access the Full Report

👉 Download the full “Living Alongside Wildlife” report
👉 Find out more details here

About DataDiggers

Founded in 2015, DataDiggers is a Romanian market research company with international reach, specializing in market, opinion, and social research. The company is ISO 20252:2019 certified, ensuring the highest standards in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

📧 Media inquiries: marketing@datadiggers-mr.com
🌐 Visit us: www.datadiggers-mr.com

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