A national survey on socio-economic contrasts after Bulgaria’s EU accession showed strong social inequality in incomes and readiness for civil solidarity. The survey was jointly commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Gallup International (GI). The poll was prepared for a UNDP and GI monthly publication, Bulgaria Beyond the Facts.

The survey was done in May 2007 and focused on people’s adjustments to being in the EU and the living standards of the middle class in Bulgaria. Two thousand Bulgarian citizens aged between 18 and 70 were interviewed.

It appeared that in the first few months of Bulgaria’s EU accession, 81 per cent of Bulgarians felt neither positive nor negative changes in their standard of living. The survey showed that only four per cent of Bulgarians were considering permanent emigration.

Most people’s concerns were connected to the general increase in prices that was expected.

According to the survey, the Bulgarian middle class consists of slightly more than a third of the population, who are above 15 years old, and is based on their income level, self-assessment and the prospects they see for themselves. Most of these people felt relatively secure in the living standard they had achieved, in their occupation and contacts, and they felt secure about the future of their children. Seventy-eight per cent of those people owned a car, 26 per cent had a second house, 52 per cent had a personal computer and 93 per cent a mobile phone. The expectations of this part of the population were for a continuing increase in personal and family incomes, which were mainly from labour and private business, as well as from the sale of land. The middle class do not rely on social payment as the basis for increased incomes, and at the same time, to increase their incomes, they are ready to invest in training courses and professional qualification, foreign languages and computer studies.

The middle class considered the biggest threats to Bulgaria since the country entered the EU to be environmental pollution (45 per cent), tax and costs increase (37 per cent) and the loss of spirituality and culture (34 per cent). They were least concerned about civil conflicts and neighbouring countries’ aggression. 91 per cent of the people polled evaluated the social stratification among the Bulgarians as very strong. These people declared a very high level of readiness for civil but not for political solidarity and personal activity.

These people preferred to express their opinions through petitions (40 per cent) and voluntary activities (37 per cent). Moreover, a number of Bulgarians were ready to protect their rights in court, including EU institutions.

After the first months since Bulgaria joined the EU, the main advantages were considered to be expectations for the economy and the fact that the country had opened up to new living standards and work possibilities. In general, the poll results showed that the middle class is stable in its current boarders and has a quite high optimism level for the future.