site.btaOne in Five Bulgarians Believe 2024 Was Better for Them and Their Families - Opinion Poll

A total of 22% of Bulgarians say that 2024 was better for them and their families, and 24% - worse. The majority, 54%, find no change with the previous one. Despite all the changes of the past 12 months, these estimates are marginally different (no more than 2 to 3 percentage points) from those given at the end of 2023, show the results of a nationally representative survey conducted by Alpha Research Agency.

The survey was conducted between December 1 and 10, 2024 among a nationally representative sample. A total of 1,000 adult Bulgarians were surveyed at their homes with a direct standardized tablet interview. The survey is part of Alpha Research's monitoring and is implemented with own funds.

More broadly, after decades of pessimism, the perception of a normalisation of life in personal terms has steadily stabilised since 2018 (with the exception of the pivotal year 2020), the data show.

The assessment of the direction Bulgaria is headed is at odds with the sense of what is happening on a personal and family level. Only 7% (3 points less than last year) of those who took part in the poll believe that Bulgaria has changed for the better. Neutral assessments are around a third, but those disappointed in the direction this country is moving rose to 58.5%.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising tensions in many regions of the world and new political realities in key countries, the most pessimistic and deteriorating are the assessments of the past year globally. Only 4.8%  of respondents believe it was better than the previous year, while three-quarters (74 %) believe the situation in the world is becoming more critical, uncertain and explosive, the Agency said.

Expectations are bleakest and worsening at the global level, with 45% (up seven points from December 2023) of respondents predicting that problems will worsen in various parts of the world in 2025. Only 26% hope that the trend of recent years will reverse and the world can hope for positive changes, according to Alpha Research's results.

In geopolitical terms, a total of 40% of the survey participants believe that the crises will deepen, while 28% see light at the end of the tunnel and expect prosperity and more opportunities in 2025. Only 16% are pessimistic versus a full 43% who are optimistic, according to the Alpha Research survey.