site.bta38% of Bulgarians in Global Survey Pessimistic about 2024, Another 18% Optimistic

Bulgarians clearly share the Western mood of less optimism about prosperity and more anxiety about peace and the future, according to the global annual survey by the Gallup International Association. As the year 2023 draws to a close, 38% of Bulgarian respondents in the survey expect 2024 to be worse, another 18% are optimistic about the next 12 months, and 31% expect next year to be as good as this year. The rest cannot say. Both optimists and pessimists in the country have decreased in a year while the share of those who do not expect major change has increased.

This latest survey covers 40,428 respondents in 41 countries around the world. About 1,000 people were interviewed face to face in each country between October and December 2023, either by telephone or online. The margin of error is +/- 3-5%, and the confidence interval is 95%.

The survey shows that one in 10 Bulgarians expect economic prosperity in 2024. About 49% expect difficulties, and 29% do not predict changes in the economic situation. The rest cannot say. The usual pessimism about the economy remains, but the share of pessimists, though still high, has dropped by 11 percentage points in a year. Optimists have retained their share from a year earlier.

The proximity of conflicts obviously leaves little room for optimism in Bulgaria about world peace. Nine per cent of Bulgarians expect a more peaceful year in 2024 than in 2023, and 46% feel it will be more troubled. One-third of Bulgarian respondents predict it will be the same in terms of war and peace.

About 40% of Bulgarians see a moderate risk of nuclear weapons being used in 2024, another 26% worry that the risk is high, and 12% do not see such a risk. The rest cannot say. In this respect, public moods have not changed much over the last year, although they have eased somewhat, Gallup say.

Worldwide, two in five people expect a better new year, and one in four predicts a worse one. About 30% say it will be the same as this year.