Appendix A: Translated Scales Used in the Research Questionnaire

[Illiberalism] 16. On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 represents "Strongly Disagree" and 7

represents "Strongly Agree," to what extent do you agree with the following
statements? (randomize)
 Breaking the rules in justice is acceptable if it serves a just cause.
 Romania needs an authoritarian leader, even if they would break some rules to
make things work.
 I wouldn't mind if the media were politically controlled, if that's what it takes
for Romania to be a strong nation.
 I have no problem with election interference if it leads to the election of strong
leaders.
 I would prefer European Union requirements not to ruin traditions and the
Romanian way of coping with certain situations.
 Our country urgently needs a strong leader who will do what needs to be done
to destroy the new radical and sinful trends that are ruining us.
 I believe the traditional way of life should be respected more than all the
current freedom.
 I have respect for religious values, even when they mean a lack of freedom of
choice for certain personal decisions.
 I believe our national identity is threatened by membership in the European
Union.

[Trust in Institutions] 17. In the current context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, how
much trust do you have in the following actors? (randomize) 1- I have no trust at
all….7 - I have a lot of trust
 The Government of Romania
 The President of Romania
 The Ministry of Defense
 NATO
 The United States
 The Romanian Army
 The European Union
 Russia
 Romanian politicians, in general
 The Romanian press, in general
 The European international press, in general
 The Russian press, in general
 The Church
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
[Attitudes/Narratives] 15. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 represents "Strongly
Disagree" and 7 "Strongly Agree," to what extent do you agree with the following
statements? (randomize within each block); 99= I don't have an opinion
 The current tensions between Ukraine and Russia are the result of aggressive
behavior by Ukraine and its Western allies.
 In the current conflict, Russia is defending its legitimate interests and is not
responsible for this conflict.
 Due to NATO's aggressive expansion, Russia is now "surrounded by enemies"
and has to defend itself.
 Russia is a superpower that must be respected.
 Americans intervened in Kosovo; therefore, Russians should be allowed to
intervene in Ukraine. Kosovo and Crimea are similar cases.
 Vladimir Putin is a patriotic leader who defends the interests of his country.
 Ukraine is an artificial and failed state that has not progressed in its 30 years
of independence.
 Ukraine has taken territories from us; therefore, we should not get involved in
the current conflict.
 Ukraine is a puppet of NATO and the USA.
 NATO/USA have come too close to Russia's borders.
 The European Union, USA, and the West are in decline.
 NATO/USA have conspired against Russia since the end of the Cold War.
 Romanians no longer make decisions for themselves; foreigners govern us and
use our resources. In short, Romania is a colony of the West.
 Romania should not get involved in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia,
between Russia and the USA/West.
 In foreign policy, Romania has no say. Romania's foreign policy is irrelevant.
 In the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Romania is expendable.
 We have a useless army; Russians can occupy us in 10 minutes.
 NATO/USA will not defend us in the event of an attack from Russia; they will
leave us alone.
 Romania has ceded its sovereignty after joining the European Union.
 In the last 30 years, all politicians have contributed to undermining the
national economy, they have sold the country's interests. Politicians are
traitors to the nation.
 Romania is sold to the West.

[News Consumption/Mainstream] 8. On how many days in the past week have you
followed news on political topics or matters of public interest on the following
channels? (randomize) Scale 0-7
 TV Programs
 Printed and online newspapers
 Radio
 Internet (websites of any kind, excluding online social networks)
[News Consumption on Social Networking Services] 9. On how many days in the past
week have you followed news on political topics or matters of public interest on the
following platforms? (randomize) Scale 0-7
 Facebook
 YouTube
 WhatsApp
 Instagram
 Facebook Messenger
 Twitter
 Telegram

[Perceived exposure to misinformation] 11. How often do you generally come across
news or information that you believe distorts reality or is outright false?

1. Rarely or never
2. Several times a month
3. At least once a week
4. Every day or almost every day
5. Multiple times a day
99 Cannot assess

[Ideology] 7. In politics, people talk about "left" and "right." On a scale from 0 to 10,
where 0 means left and 10 means right, where do you place yourself in terms of your
political preferences?
0 (Left), 10 (Right), 99 (Don't know/No answer)

[Year Born] 1. What year were you born in?

[Gender] 2. Your gender?

 Male
 Female
 Other

[Education] 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

 No schooling
 Primary school
 Middle school
 Vocational or trade school
 High school
 Post-high school (including college)
 Higher education/university
 Postgraduate studies
[Income] 4. How do you assess your family's current income?
 It's not enough for basic necessities
 It's only enough for basic necessities
 It's enough for a decent living but doesn't allow us to buy more expensive
items
 We can afford some expensive items, but with cutbacks in other areas
 We can afford everything we need without making cutbacks
 Don't know / no answer

[Residence] 5. Where do you live?

 In Bucharest
 In a large city
 In the suburbs of a large city
 In a small town
 In a village/community
 In an isolated house away from any village/community
 Living abroad

Appendix B - Sample Demographics

Descriptive Statistics
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
age 1000 18 66 43.19 13.159
gender 1000 1 2 1.52 .500
education 1000 1 8 6.02 1.254
income 994 1 5 3.16 .964
residence 999 1 6 2.78 1.357
Valid N (listwise) 994

age
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 18 7 .7 .7 .7
19 15 1.5 1.5 2.2
20 15 1.5 1.5 3.7
21 24 2.4 2.4 6.1
22 16 1.6 1.6 7.7
23 16 1.6 1.6 9.3
24 14 1.4 1.4 10.7
25 9 .9 .9 11.6
26 19 1.9 1.9 13.5
27 13 1.3 1.3 14.8
28 17 1.7 1.7 16.5
29 10 1.0 1.0 17.5
30 27 2.7 2.7 20.2
31 17 1.7 1.7 21.9
32 26 2.6 2.6 24.5
33 20 2.0 2.0 26.5
34 26 2.6 2.6 29.1
35 21 2.1 2.1 31.2
36 23 2.3 2.3 33.5
37 25 2.5 2.5 36.0
38 17 1.7 1.7 37.7
39 18 1.8 1.8 39.5
40 28 2.8 2.8 42.3
41 27 2.7 2.7 45.0
42 29 2.9 2.9 47.9
43 24 2.4 2.4 50.3
44 29 2.9 2.9 53.2
45 17 1.7 1.7 54.9
46 23 2.3 2.3 57.2
47 27 2.7 2.7 59.9
48 13 1.3 1.3 61.2
49 25 2.5 2.5 63.7
50 31 3.1 3.1 66.8
51 13 1.3 1.3 68.1
52 33 3.3 3.3 71.4
53 27 2.7 2.7 74.1
54 32 3.2 3.2 77.3
55 2 .2 .2 77.5
56 23 2.3 2.3 79.8
57 18 1.8 1.8 81.6
58 23 2.3 2.3 83.9
59 23 2.3 2.3 86.2
60 23 2.3 2.3 88.5
61 21 2.1 2.1 90.6
62 28 2.8 2.8 93.4
63 21 2.1 2.1 95.5
64 15 1.5 1.5 97.0
65 24 2.4 2.4 99.4
 66 6 .6 .6 100.0
Total 1000 100.0 100.0

gender
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Man 477 47.7 47.7 47.7
Woman 523 52.3 52.3 100.0
Total 1000 100.0 100.0

education
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid No schooling 2 .2 .2 .2
Primary school 5 .5 .5 .7
Middle school 9 .9 .9 1.6
Vocational or trade school 54 5.4 5.4 7.0
High school 372 37.2 37.2 44.2
Post-high school (including 110 11.0 11.0 55.2
college)
Higher education/ university 340 34.0 34.0 89.2
Postgraduate studies 108 10.8 10.8 100.0
Total 1000 100.0 100.0

income
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid We don't have enough for 54 5.4 5.4 5.4
even the bare necessities
We have just enough for the 166 16.6 16.7 22.1
bare necessities
We have enough for a 405 40.5 40.7 62.9
decent living, but can't afford
more expensive items
We can afford some more 303 30.3 30.5 93.4
expensive items, but with
restrictions in other areas
 We can afford everything we 66 6.6 6.6 100.0
need without making any
sacrifices
Total 994 99.4 100.0
Missing Don't know / no answer 6 .6
Total 1000 100.0

residence
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid In Bucharest 172 17.2 17.2 17.2
In a large city 400 40.0 40.0 57.3
In the suburbs of a large city 35 3.5 3.5 60.8
In a small town 260 26.0 26.0 86.8
In a village/commune 130 13.0 13.0 99.8
In an isolated house away 2 .2 .2 100.0
from any village/commune
Total 999 99.9 100.0
Missing Living abroad 1 .1
Total 1000 100.0