BAROMETRUL Informat.ro - INSCOP Research - The notoriety of George Enescu and the festival that bears his name | 85% of Romanians say they have heard of George Enescu

Chapter 6: The Fame of George Enescu and the Festival that Bears His Name

According to INFORMAT.RO BAROMETER – INSCOP Research, edition III, conducted between September 1 - 9, 2025, 85% of Romanians have heard of the great musician George Enescu.

INFORMAT.RO BAROMETER – INSCOP Research is a monthly opinion poll conducted by INSCOP Research on behalf of the news platform Informat.ro in partnership with the think-tank Strategic Thinking Group.

INFORMAT.RO BAROMETER – INSCOP Research aims to bring to the public's attention topics of interest to stimulate national conversations about various subjects and essential public policies for the present and future of Romania, based on the opinions of Romanians in partnership with prestigious think tanks and academic institutions. It is an initiative through which we aim to contribute to the strengthening of democracy by using scientific and credible tools that bring the voice of citizens to the forefront of public debate.

Methodology: Data was collected between September 1-9, 2025. Research method: interview via questionnaire. Data was collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), with a simple stratified sample volume of 1103 people, representative of significant socio-demographic categories (gender, age, occupation) for the non-institutionalized population of Romania, aged 18 and over. The maximum allowable error of the data is ± 2.95%, at a confidence level of 95%.

Graphical presentation of the data is available here: The Fame of George Enescu and the Festival that Bears His Name

Remus Ștefureac – director INSCOP Research: "Although the fame of George Enescu and the Festival is very high - 85%, respectively 76.6% - it has slightly decreased compared to 2013, which shows a partial decrease in the collective cultural memory and a weaker transmission of values to new generations. Perceptions about Enescu and the Festival are strongly influenced by socio-demographic profile (for example, 26% of young people aged 18-29 have not heard of George Enescu and only 46% of them have heard of the George Enescu Festival, compared to 90% of people over 60 who have heard of the festival) and political (25% of AUR voters have not heard of George Enescu and 35% have not heard of the festival), highlighting divisions between generations, education levels, residential environments, and electoral orientations. Although the majority of Romanians believe that the country benefits from the Festival, the increase in the proportion of those who see it as a cost, from 1.8% in 2013 to 10.5% in 2025, shows a slight vulnerability, currently marginal, of the social consensus on the value of major cultural events. The vast majority of the population appreciates the Enescu Festival, which shows that it is already a major cultural landmark for the population of Romania."

The Fame of George Enescu and the Festival that Bears His Name

85% of Romanians say they have heard of George Enescu (compared to 90.6% in 2013). 14.8% say they have not heard of the Romanian musician (compared to 6.2% in 2013). 0.1% do not know or do not respond.

They say they have heard of George Enescu especially: PNL and USR voters, people over 60, those with medium or higher education, residents of Bucharest and large urban areas. They declare they have not heard of the great composer mainly: AUR voters, young people under 30, people with primary education, and residents of rural areas.

76.6% of respondents have heard of the George Enescu Festival (compared to 80.2% in 2013). 22.8% say they have not heard of this event (compared to 15% in 2013). 0.6% do not know or do not respond.

They declare they have heard of the George Enescu Festival mainly: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, people over 45, those with medium or higher education, residents of Bucharest. They say they have not heard of this festival especially: AUR voters, young people under 30, people with primary education, and residents of rural areas.

67.7% of those interviewed believe that Romania benefits from the George Enescu Festival (compared to 71.9% in 2013). 10.5% believe that the country has more to lose from this event (compared to 1.8% in 2013). The proportion of non-responses is 21.7%.

They believe that Romania benefits from the George Enescu Festival especially: PSD, PNL, and USR voters, people over 45, those with medium or higher education, and residents of Bucharest. AUR voters, young people under 30, and people with primary education believe the most that the country has more to lose from the event.