site.btaClose to Half of Bulgarians Back Neither Russia nor Ukraine in War - Poll 

A total of 48.1% of Bulgarians support neither Russia nor Ukraine in the military conflict, show data of a nationally representative poll about public opinions on the war in Ukraine, conducted by the ESTAT polling agency among 1,004 adult Bulgarians across the country between October 8-28, 2022. The survey was self-financed by the agency. 

A total of 23.1% of respondents expressed support for Ukraine, compared to 20.7% for Russia. Around 8% of respondents were undecided. Close to 40% of all who took part in the poll (39.7%) do not believe that a victor will emerge from the war, while 20% believe Russia would win, compared to 11.4% who think Ukraine will prevail. A total of 3% said that the US will be the victor, while 25.8% could not decide. 

According to 67.5% of respondents, Bulgaria’s stance in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine must be neutral, 16.3% believe that Bulgaria must express support for Ukraine and 8.6% - for Russia. The study shows that 19% of people view Ukrainian refugees negatively, compared to 25.8% who see them in a positive light and 17.2% who are indifferent. A total of 38% were undecided. A total of 71.4% claim they have not and were not planning on helping Ukrainian refugees, while 9.4% said they have helped and 19.2% have not helped, but were planning to. 

Asked if a referendum was held now on Bulgaria’s NATO membership, 29.8% said they would support joining the military alliance, compared to 31.1% who would not, while 21.1% of respondents said they would not vote. 

Among the main conclusions drawn by ESTAT from the survey are that support for either side in the conflict is waning and the war is becoming a constant news piece. Fears related to he war are increasing significantly, however, as around two-thirds of Bulgarians are afraid of a third world war and the use of nuclear weapons, the agency said. People’s awareness of what to do in times of crisis stemming from military threats is practically zero. Only men, the highly educated, the wealthy and big city dwellers are somewhat more aware of what they need to do in case of a nuclear threat, the poll’s results showed.