Three in five Bulgarians think that refugees are threatening the country’s national security, while 15.2% are of the opposite opinion, a new poll has revealed.

Nearly a quarter, 24.8%, say they cannot answer, according to a nationally representative survey of attitudes towards refugees staying in Bulgaria conducted by Sofia-based Sova Harris polling agency.

The results of the poll of 1,000 people were unveiled in Sofia on Thursday.

The poll showed that 46.5% of the respondents think that the EU must not help refugees seeking asylum in member states. Twenty-eight percent say that refugees must be helped, while a nearly equal share of respondents, 25.5%, have no opinion.

Asked why the EU should not help refugees, 18.8% of the respondents reply that the reason is the presence of terrorists among refugees; 16.7% say that Bulgaria cannot cater for its own people due to the poor shape of its economy, while 6.9% see refugees as a threat to the economy and the social safety network of the EU. Five percent think that the refugees cannot be integrated into the EU society because of their religion and way of life, while 3.9% of the respondents cite as a reason the perceived threat of Islamisation of Europe.

The poll has also revealed that nearly half of Bulgarians, 47%, are not afraid of refugees and don’t see them as a threat.

At the opposite end there are several reasons why Bulgarians say they are afraid of refugees, according to the survey. Within that group, 34.1% believe that refugees are a threat because of their religion, 23.6% are afraid of the ethnic origin of the refugees, while 4.6% plainly say that they hate foreigners.     

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