site.btaMigrants Greater Problem Europewide than in Bulgaria - Survey

Bulgarians are not ready to tolerate a larger number of foreigners taking jobs in this country, the Myara sociological agency found in a recent survey. The respondents believe that Europe's approach to migration so far has been rather wrong. Still, Bulgaria is having far smaller problems with migrants compared to Europe. Nearly 600,000 people out of some 5.4 million adult residents in the country already find migrants a danger to national security, even if the migrants are fleeing war. Adults are far more worried than the young.

The Myara survey was conducted among 803 adult Bulgarians between February 6 and 16, 2025.

As many as 50.4% of those polled do not accept that migrants should come to Bulgaria to work even if there is a shortage of labour, while 36% accept this option. The reluctance is evident mainly among older people. But even among the younger, rejection prevails. The term "migrants", which is commonly used in the debate, is used to check the basic public instinct. Of course, further sociological research on the subject is also needed, the researchers pointed out.

The 48.7% who agree that migration is  a threat to Europe significantly outnumber the 29.1% who disagree. Nearly equal shares agree and disagree that migration is a threat to Bulgaria: 40% vs 35.1%. The margin in the perception of personal threat is even narrower: 43% see migration as a threat to their own security while 38.9% do not. Thus, potential problems related to migrants are apparently not perceived in this country to the extent that they apply to Europe. This may also reflect Bulgaria's efforts to ease migration pressure. The youngest do not feel particularly threatened, but even they are more likely to agree that there is a threat to Europe, the survey found.

Asked whether they personally assess the European Union's policy on migrants from the Middle East, Africa, etc. as right or wrong?, 21% say the policy is right, but 44.9% say it is wrong. Of course, the undecided are quite a few.

It makes a difference whether it is a matter of just migrants or people being rescued from war, say 62.3% of those who find that national security is in danger. This consideration is not important for 28.% of these respondents. This proportion of extreme opinions - which disregards even military conflicts as a factor of migration - translates into nearly 600,000 adult Bulgarians, the survey results show.