Bulgarians More Pro-Russian Than Rest of Europe - Survey

Bulgarians are more pro-Russia, pro-freedom of speech, pro- the old communist system and are less positive about their lives than most other ex-communist European countries according to a recent survey.

The Pew Research Center report called the ‘The Pulse of Europe 2009: 20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall’ was released this week.

The report states; “In east Germany and the Czech Republic, there is considerable support for the shift to both a multiparty system and a free market economy. The Poles and Slovaks rank next in terms of acceptance. In contrast, somewhat fewer Hungarians, Bulgarians, Russians and Lithuanians say they favor the changes to the political and economic systems they have experienced, although majorities or pluralities endorse the changes.”

It adds that 62% of those surveyed in Bulgaria felt better off under communism and that Bulgarians are extremely concerned about their fellow citizens abandoning the country.

The report continued; “Russians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians also judge their personal well-being much better than they once did, and they view their lives more positively than do Hungarians and Bulgarians. However, even those two downbeat publics show improvements in self-assessments of life compared with 1991.”

The most important thing in a democracy according to Bulgarians is freedom of speech and a fair judicial system the survey showed.

The report concluded that whereas most Eastern and Western European countries share concerns about Russian influence, Bulgaria and the Ukraine see Russia's influence as more positive than negative.

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