site.bta74% of Young People in Bulgaria Consider Emigrating Abroad, Study Shows

A total of 74% of young people in Bulgaria are considering emigration abroad to a greater or lesser extent, show data from a study on youth in Southeastern Europe conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, presented at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) by the foundation's director, Jacques Paparo, and Boris Popivanov, the scientific director of the project. Parvan Simeonov, Lilia Elenkova, Yuliana Galova, and Yanitsa Petkova, part of the research team, also participated in the presentation.

The survey involved 9,000 individuals between the ages of 14 and 29.

According to the study, recent years have seen a rise in the migration intentions of youth, likely due to the numerous crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and inflation.

When asked when they plan to move abroad, a significant portion of young people responded “in 2 to 5 years” (20.8%) or that they couldn’t decide (28.3%), reported Parvan Simeonov. Only 26% of young people have no intention of emigrating, the study data shows. Along with emigration plans, the trend of highly qualified young Bulgarians among potential emigrants is also on the rise, noted Simeonov. He also shared that over 80% of those wanting to emigrate do not have clear plans or preparations. A pragmatic view of emigration is emerging, seeing it as a possible and temporary, rather than the only and permanent, path to the future, the sociologist commented.

The majority of young Bulgarians (56%) consider it important to complete university, but only one-fifth (21%) are satisfied with the quality of education in Bulgaria. The analysis of the collected data suggests that today’s youth are more educated than their parents’ generation, noted Simeonov. At the same time, the study reveals low levels of satisfaction with the quality of acquired education (21%) and high perceptions of corruption in the education system (57%). The majority of respondents find completing higher education important (56%), but not necessarily investing time in educational preparation. Educational mobility is not widespread and does not generate interest, Simeonov pointed out.

The study found that individual values outweigh collective ones in the minds of young Bulgarians. Human rights (24%) and security (20%) occupy top positions, while equality (7%) and democracy (5%) fall behind among the top values, according to the researchers. Young Bulgarians are becoming more tolerant of others but are sometimes inclined to accept illegal or disreputable practices, such as bribery or tax evasion, according to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s study.

The sense of anxiety is relatively high. Respondents’ fears are most often existential – about life, health, and the future, stated Boris Popivanov. Leading concerns include worries about the healthcare system (47%), potential war (44%), and climate change (42%). The study shows that personal optimism, typical of youth, coexists with societal pessimism. Young people are more optimistic about their own future than the future of Bulgarian society, Popivanov reported.

He said that there has been a rise in interest in politics (21% compared to just 7% in 2018). However, the willingness to participate in politics is not high and reflects a distrust of institutionalized forms of action, as opposed to individual actions (boycotts, petitions, volunteering), the study shows. There is a noticeable decline in trust in all major institutions, including the EU, which has a trust level of 24%. This does not necessarily mean a surge in Euroscepticism, but rather a decline in the belief that the European Union is currently offering the necessary solutions for Bulgaria, Popivanov said.

Young Bulgarians are more right-wing (24%) than left-wing (15%) in their ideological self-identification, the survey results show. There are also significant shares of nearly one-third of respondents who hold a purely ethnonationalist political vision, sometimes distinguishing Bulgarian identity from European identity. In their attitudes toward current issues and problems, young people tend to be cautious. There is a lack of decisiveness on issues like climate change, as well as a lack of enthusiasm about artificial intelligence, reported Yuliana Galova, part of the project team. Material concerns often influence attitudes toward refugees or working from home, she added.