A recent study conducted by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CID) reveals that 58% of Bulgarians are willing to take up arms and defend their country if it were to come under attack, while 42% are not. The survey, presented at the National Press Club of BTA in Sofia, also highlights that nearly 70% of respondents exhibit conspiratorial thinking, with 48.8% embracing factual relativism and 36.9% endorsing disinformation and conspiracy beliefs.

Todor Galev, the Director of Scientific Research at CID, along with Goran Georgiev, Senior Analyst at CID, shared the findings of the study. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory for Digital Media (BROD), involved an online survey of 1,071 Bulgarian citizens aged 16 and above, conducted between May 25 and June 2.

Among the key concerns identified by the survey, 48% of respondents view attempts by foreign powers to influence European Parliament elections as a significant problem, while 33% consider it a minor issue, and 19% do not perceive it as problematic.

Regarding the stance on EU involvement in geopolitical matters, less than 20% of participants believe that the EU should offer military support to Ukraine. Meanwhile, 19.4% advocate for a reinforced sanctions policy against Russia, and nearly 27% suggest pressuring Ukraine to engage in negotiations. Approximately one-third of respondents express the opinion that the EU should adopt a neutral position.

In terms of perceived interference in European Parliament elections, 31.5% of respondents believe that the US government is very likely to attempt to influence the outcome, while 25.4% suspect similar interference from the Russian state leadership, and 24.3% point to the European Commission as a potential actor in meddling efforts.