/ world today news/ Young, active Bulgarians living in big cities are particularly concerned about climate change. As age increases, this concern diminishes. This is shown by a nationally representative study by “Trend”, commissioned by the MEP Petar Vitanov, a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. The survey was conducted among 1,010 people aged 18+ between October 13 and 21 this year and examined the attitudes of Bulgarians towards main topics related to climate change and the European Green Pact.
According to 78% of the Bulgarian society, there is a change in the climate, and the results of studies going back in time show a much lower share.
MEP Petar Vitanov pointed out that climate change is a leading topic in the European Union, which shapes the entire policy and priorities of the institutions in the next 30 years.
“The results of this survey are extremely important because, on the one hand, they show that the topic of climate change is not indifferent to Bulgarians, and on the other hand, they do not believe that the Bulgarian government is paying attention to it. The aim of this research is to push political parties to devote much more attention to climate change in their policy agendas and targets. This debate is absent in Bulgaria,” comments Petar Vitanov.
“In the coming months, it is important to talk about the green transformation, because there is no doubt that it will happen, but the important question for us, as Bulgarians, is at what cost will it happen,” Petar Vitanov said in a comment on the study.
The study tested the attitudes of Bulgarians towards several policies that are part of the European Green Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It is noteworthy that significant levels of support are registered for almost all the tested policies, and it is clear that there are topics that are already with greater penetration in society and those that are more difficult to understand and, accordingly, less well known.
In terms of attitudes towards whether the EU provides enough funds to finance the policies that are part of the Green Deal, a larger share (32%) think that they are not enough. In the case of people with a low level of education, this is mostly explained by the fact that these representatives are less informed and, accordingly, cannot give an opinion or form positions on the subject.
In the largest share (50%) are those who believe that climate changes are a consequence of both natural natural processes and the result of human activity. To a greater extent, people with higher education and those working in skilled labor and employed in higher positions are in solidarity with this statement.
One in four is of the opinion that climate change is entirely the result of human activity. 45% in total are those who believe that the impact of climate change for Bulgaria compared to the rest of the world will be negative. Almost no dissenters are registered who believe that the impact for Bulgaria would be positive.
Asked how much they thought their lives would change if no action was taken on climate change, respondents shared nuanced sentiments. The largest share (30%) declare that their lives would change to some extent, with the younger and active age groups to a greater extent holding this opinion at the expense of the older ones.
In equal shares of 13% each, those who tend to express more extreme opinions that their lives would change to a great extent or that it would not change at all are divided. Graduates are the most likely to share the opinion that their lives would change, while those with primary and lower education are most likely to be skeptical or find it difficult to express an opinion. 42% are of the opinion that everything possible should be done to stop climate change.
The profile of the respondents who demonstrate a higher degree of commitment to the topic is similar here – graduates, employed in managerial positions or employed specialists, of active age, living in the Capital and regional centers.
Over half of those surveyed (51%) say they are not buying less goods that contain plastic in their packaging to help reduce the impact of climate change. 37% declare that they do it for this purpose, and in a more significant proportion these are the representatives of the female sex, as well as those living in the Capital and regional cities, people with higher incomes and a higher educational qualification.
It should be borne in mind that this share may be higher than the real one mainly because it contains a prestige element in the option, which tends respondents to intentionally share the more prestigious option. Regarding whether they travel less by car to contribute to reducing the impact of climate change, we report that this is the case for just over a third of those surveyed. Here we should keep in mind that for the oldest, where the larger shares are clearly visible, this is rather a consequence of social declassification after they cease their active work status, as well as due to the lack of a car in principle.
41% say they are buying less food products that are not produced by local producers. Here it is noticeable that we register the smallest degree of commitment among the youngest (18-29 years old), which can rather be explained not so much by their attitude towards the case, but by purely consumer and life specifics of the demographic group (to a large extent, this is also explained by the fact that they do not shop, and are often still part of a household, or live with their parents). On the other hand, we report a higher share of those who claim that they shop less for such goods among the older groups, which can also be explained by formed consumer habits, as well as by the cultural attitude of the type of “choose the Bulgarian “.
One indicator of interest is certainly whether Bulgarians have started disposing of their waste separately in order to reduce their impact on climate change. A little over a third (37%) say that they collect their waste separately, but the share (57%) of those who declare that they do not do so is in the majority. Regarding the demographic breakdowns, here too we note the greater commitment among the young (30-39 years old), those living in the Capital (to a greater degree) and regional centers, with higher education. For these groups of our society, the definition is valid that these are the people with a post-material agenda, who are most involved in topics such as environmental protection, etc. Of course, we should bear in mind that the separate gathering among these people is also experienced as belonging to modern-minded and forward-thinking groups and brings back this prestigious element in attitudes.
A quarter believe that the EU is doing what is necessary to reduce the negative impact of climate change. 36% are of the opposite opinion, and another 38% find it difficult to give a specific answer. These data rather speak to the fact that the information about the policies, programs and initiatives that the EU carries out does not reach the Bulgarian society in a sufficiently comprehensible way. In this context, the work of the Bulgarian MEPs is extremely important, having the opportunity to be a mediator between the European institutions and the voters in Bulgaria.
The study tested the attitudes of Bulgarians towards several policies that are part of the European Green Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is noteworthy that significant levels of support are registered for almost all the tested policies, and it is clear that there are topics that are already with greater penetration in society and those that are more difficult to understand and, accordingly, less well known.
In terms of attitudes towards whether the EU provides enough funds to finance the policies that are part of the Green Deal, a larger share (32%) think that they are not enough.
Almost half of the respondents (46%) find it difficult to give a specific answer, which confirms the observations made above that the awareness among the Bulgarian society on the subject is not at the necessary levels.
Bulgarians (47%) are convinced that the Bulgarian government is not taking adequate actions to realize the goals of the European Green Deal.
Just under a fifth (17%) are of the opposite opinion, and again a significant proportion cannot express an opinion. It is noteworthy that among all age groups the negative opinion that the government is not taking adequate action dominates. The same applies when looking at the breakdown by educational status.
One of the explanations for these data is that there is a chronic lack of trust in the main political institutions in Bulgarian society, as well as the persistent opinion that we are lagging behind European processes.
In conclusion, the researchers point out that there is a group in our society that can be counted as carrying the “green” theme. These are the young and active, with higher education, employed qualified employees and those in high positions with correspondingly higher incomes, living mainly in the capital and regional centers.
This theme is characterized by a particular prestige element, especially when it is also associated with a certain type of lifestyle that can be described as modern, progressive and “Western”.
The topic has prospects for development and communication with the Bulgarian society. It needs to be presented more clearly so that it is accessible to a wider range of people.
To contact the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP:
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