More than half of Romanians believe that energy suppliers (59%) and the government (52%) are responsible for rising energy and gas prices, according to a study by Reveal Marketing Research.

According to the quoted document, 41% of the respondents mentioned the state as guilty of the current situation, while 36% point the responsibility on the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).

Romanians also said they were affected by the increase in the electricity and gas bill, and 91% of them said they would still pay it.

Asked in the study about the legality of energy regulations, almost a quarter (22%) of all respondents believe that electricity suppliers complied with legal regulations, and only 18% in case of gas suppliers. At the same time, young people (25-35 years old) with higher education claim that the electricity suppliers (14%) and the natural gas suppliers (13%) complied with the legal regulations, according to Agerpres.

According to the study, most Romanians (88%) knew that the Romanian electricity market was liberalized on January 1, 2021 and only 8% said they did not know about change, and 4% refused to answer.

When asked what kind of market customers are in, about half (49%) of those surveyed said they are in the competitive market, compared to 34% who said they are in the regulated market. In contrast, 17% admitted that they did not know which market segment they belong to.

Compared to the results obtained last year, there is a significant increase in those who are customers on the competitive market (+ 23%) and a decrease in the proportion of those who are customers on the regulated market (-9%).

The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online from January 21 to 25, 2022, on a sample of 1,007 people over the age of 18, from urban and rural areas. Maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.