OPINIONS ON MINING IN COMMUNITIES WITH A MINING HISTORY IN ROMANIA (ALBA COUNTY) - A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS

Rezumat

This article aims to capture the variety of opinions on mining and mineral exploitation in three communities with a mining history in Romania (Alba County). This study aims to compare attitudes toward mining and resource-governance preferences across Roşia Montană, the Recea neighbourhood (Alba Iulia), and Zlatna, and to examine how collective memory and mining heritage shape the perceived legitimacy and socio-economic relevance of mining and local development options. The analysis draws on data from three distinct sociological surveys conducted through questionnaire-based research: in the town of Zlatna (N = 126 respondents, data collected in 2024), among a group of 45 persons relocated to an urban area – the Recea neighborhood in the municipality of Alba Iulia (data collected in 2020), and in the commune of Roşia Montană (N = 282 respondents, data collected in 2020). Methodologically, the study adopts a descriptive and comparative approach, examining the distribution of opinions regarding the economic, social, and environmental impact of mining activities, as well as respondents’ relationship to industrial heritage and local development prospects. The results highlight a marked diversity of stances toward mining, both between the three localities and within each community. The article foregrounds the ways in which place-based memory, economic dependency on industry, and the perception of risk shape nuanced attitudes that range from support to ambivalence and rejection of the resumption or expansion of mining activities.