site.btaMost Bulgarians Are Optimistic about EU Future - Eurobarometer Survey

Most Bulgarians (60%) and other EU citizens (65%) express optimism about the future of the EU, shows the European Parliament's 2024 post-election Eurobarometer. The survey looks at citizens' voting behaviour in the recent European elections, at the main issues driving citizens' voting decision and at their attitudes towards the EU and the European Parliament.

Over half of Bulgarians (51%) and almost half of the rest of the EU (48%) express a positive attitude towards the Community. Asked whether their country benefits from being part of the EU, 53% of Bulgarians and 70% of other EU citizens answered positively. According to 61% of Bulgarians and 72% of the rest of the EU, EU-wide actions affect their daily life.

For 53% of Bulgarians and 67% of others in the EU, their country's membership in the Union is important. These answers in Bulgaria have increased by 6% in recent months, the survey shows.

According to data, 47% of Bulgarians value the EU most for its job opportunities, compared to 24% in the other EU countries. Bulgarians and others in the EU also value highly the fact that membership provides opportunities for cooperation between European countries, contributes to peace and security, and to the growth of the economy. The majority, 60% in Bulgaria and 65% in the other EU countries, express optimism about the future of the EU, and half of them expect their standard of living not to change in the next five years. 

Nearly 48% of the Bulgarian participants and 42% of the EU citizens expressed a positive attitude towards the European Parliament (EP), with the most frequent positive attitudes reported among 25–39-year-olds and those who have completed their education after the age of 20. According to 32% of Bulgarians and 43% of EU citizens, it would be good for the EP to have a more important role, while just over 30% believe that the current role of MEPs should not change.

The survey shows that 66% of Bulgarians did not vote in the European elections in summer 2024 (49% in the EU). As the main reason for not voting, 40% (up 2% in recent months) of Bulgarians place first the lack of trust in politics in general, 30% saying their vote would not change anything (17% similar answers in the EU). For those who did vote in the European elections, the first reason was the rise in the cost of living (56% in Bulgaria and 42% in the EU), followed by the economic situation in the country (53% in Bulgaria and 41% in the EU).