Poll: Bulgarians see rising prices, economy as main issues facing country

Bulgarians see the two main issues facing the country as, first, rising prices, cost of living and inflation, and second, the economic situation, according to the results of a regular poll by Eurobarometer.

Presented with a list of 13 issues – including, among others, the environment, immigration, education and crime – 46 per cent of Bulgarians saw rising prices as the main issue while 27 per cent named the economic situation.

The Eurobarometer poll was done in June 2019 and the results released on August 5.

Bulgarians opted for different choices when asked about the main issues facing the European Union. Forty-six per cent said that it was immigration and 36 per cent, terrorism.

Just 20 per cent saw the situation of the Bulgarian economy was good, a gain of two percentage points since the autumn 2018 Eurobarometer poll. Seventy-two per cent said that it was bad.

Forty-six per cent described the financial situation of their households as “good” and 49 per cent as “bad”.

Asked about their personal job situation, 48 per cent of Bulgarians polled said that it was good and 38 per cent bad.

Nineteen per cent believed that their personal job situation would improve in the next 12 months, 64 per cent that it would stay the same and seven per cent believed that it would worsen.

Twenty-three per cent said that Bulgaria’s economic situation would improve in the next 12 months, 48 per cent that it would stay the same and 19 per cent that it would worsen.

Twenty-seven per cent said that EU’s economic situation would improve, 40 per cent that it would stay the same and 10 per cent said that it would worsen.

Asked about trust in institutions, 55 per cent of Bulgarians said they trusted the EU, while 28 per cent did not.

Seventeen per cent trusted Bulgaria’s Parliament while 72 per cent did not, and 25 per cent trusted the government while 64 per cent did not.

Fifty-nine per cent of Bulgarians had a positive image of the EU, 26 per cent were neutral and for 11 per cent, the image of the EU was negative. Compared with the autumn Eurobarometer poll, the positive image gained by three percentage points, the neutral image by three percentage points and the negative image shed six percentage points.

Eighty-seven per cent of Bulgarians favoured the EU’s free movement rights, 40 per cent were in favour of the bloc having a single currency, the euro, while 45 per cent were against, and 54 per cent of Bulgarians were in favour of further expansion of the EU, while 26 per cent were against, according to the Eurobarometer poll.

(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)

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The Sofia Globe staff

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