The credibility of the European Union among Bulgarians remains high on the eve of Thursday’s UK referendum but it seems to be at its lowest level since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, according to a new survey conducted by the local arm of Gallup International Association.

At the same time the Bulgarians don’t expect the outcome of the referendum to have an impact on their lives, the research agency said in a statement on Wednesday, commenting on the results of its poll. A total of 819 people were interviewed between June 3 and June 9.

Forty-eight percent of the respondents have expressed confidence in the EU, while 38% don’t trust the EU and 14% are undecided, according to the survey.

However, just a few months ago the EU’s credibility among Bulgarians had been at about 60%, while lack of credibility rarely reached 30%, according to the statement  

The reasons for the decline in the EU’s credibility can be attributed to “the disintegration processes in the EU, the refugee wave, terrorism, the various crises in the alliance and the rise of populist political players,” the researchers said.

The recent media clashes between Russia and the West as well as the EU’s failure to emit enough authority, security and resolve in international matters may also have played a part, Gallup International said.