Poll: Twice as many Bulgarians prefer alliance with Nato and EU to one with Russia
Against the background of the emerging new division in Europe after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost twice as many Bulgarians would prefer the country to be in an alliance with Nato and the EU than those who would choose an alliance with Russia, according to an Alpha Research poll commissioned by the Open Society Institute Sofia.
The poll, done between June 6 and 16, found that 39 per cent of respondents said that Bulgaria should position itself in a union with Nato and EU countries in the event of a new division in Europe similar to that of the Cold War.
Twenty-three per cent of respondents were in favour of an alliance with countries such as Russia and Belarus, and nearly seven would prefer another course of action.
Close to 31 per cent were undecided or did not answer the question.
Proponents of an alliance with Nato and the EU represent the largest share of respondents in all age groups.
Support for such a union among young and active people is more pronounced, reaching 41 per cent (compared to 14 per cent for an alliance with Russia) among people aged between 18 and 30 and up to 46 per cent among those aged between 31 and 40 ( against 17 per cent for an alliance with Russia).
Of those aged between 41 and 50, 41 per cent are in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU, and 24 per cent prefer an alliance with Russia.
Among the elderly, support for the country’s Western orientation is declining, but remains higher than for an alliance with Russia.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents between the ages of 51 and 60, as well as among those over the age of 61, support an alliance with Nato and the EU, against 23 per cent (in the 51-60 age group) and 31 per cent (in the over-61 age group, respectively). ) preferring an alliance with Russia.
Proponents of an alliance with Nato and the EU are predominant among the supporters of four of the eight political parties, which in June 2022 received the support of more than four per cent of those who expressed readiness to vote in parliamentary elections.
Among supporters of Democratic Bulgaria, 96 per cent are in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU, while zero per cent are in favour of an alliance with Russia.
Of supporters of We Continue the Change, 68 per cent are for an alliance with Nato and the EU and 14 per cent are for an alliance with Russia.
Sixty-five per cent of supporters of Slavi Trifonov’s ITN party are in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU and 13 per cent are in favour of an alliance with Russia.
Among GERB supporters, 58 per cent are in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU and 12 per cent are in favour of an alliance with Russia.
In the case of three parties, supporters who favour an alliance with Russia are in the majority.
Fifty-six per cent of Bulgarian Socialist Party supporters are in favour of an alliance with Russia and 21 per cent with Nato and the EU.
Forty-nine per cent of Vuzrazhdane supporters favour an alliance with Russia and 17 per cent with Nato and the EU.
Among supporters of former caretaker prime minister Stefan Yanev’s Bulgaria Ascending party, 38 per cent favour an alliance with Russia and 25 per cent favour an alliance with Nato and the EU.
Among supporters of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, those who are undecided or did not answer predominates, at 48 per cent, while 23 per cent were in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU, and 21 per cent in favour of an alliance with Russia.
Those who are undecided or did not answer also predominated among those polled who had not decided who they would vote for: 47 per cent. Among this group, 33 per cent were in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU while 14 per cent were in favour of an alliance with Russia.
Among those who said that they would not vote, 42 per cent were undecided or did not answer, 24 per cent were in favour of an alliance with Nato and the EU, while 26 per cent were in favour of an alliance with Russia.
The poll was done through 1000 direct standardized interviews in the homes of respondents, through a two-stage stratified sample by region and type of settlement, with quotas for gender, age and education.
(Photo: Nato)
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