The biggest pessimists (optimists minus pessimists):
- Turkey – minus 34
- Bulgaria – minus 33
- Afghanistan – minus 32
- Poland – minus 30
- Czech Republic – minus 25
This year 15% of Bulgarians are optimistic that 2022 will be better than last year, 48% rather expect 2022 to be worse, and according to 21%, next year will be the same as this one. 16% cannot judge. The authors of the study recall that last year the country was again among the 5 most pessimistic countries in the survey with a hope index of -29 from -33 now. Sociologists note that the field research in Bulgaria in both years coincided with peaks of covid waves and a prolonged political crisis, and levels of optimism in the country are similar to other countries in the eastern EU.
The most optimistic (optimists minus pessimists):
- Indonesia – plus 72
- Albania – plus 65
- Azerbaijan – plus 53
- Nigeria – plus 51
- Mexico, Vietnam – plus 47
At the end of 2021, two-thirds of Bulgarians are preparing for economic difficulties next year, only 6% are betting on economic prosperity, and one in five believes that nothing will change in the economy. One in ten finds it difficult to judge.
On average in the EU, 14% of respondents expect economic recovery, 53% – difficulties, and 28% expect the year to be the same. The mood in the eastern countries of the union is even closer to those of Bulgaria – 9% expect economic recovery, 62% difficulties, 23% expect the year to be the same, and 7% can not judge.
Against the background of expectations for difficulties in the economy and prevailing pessimism, the positive thing is that this year personal happiness in our country, although barely perceptible, is higher, the authors of the study comment. A total of 45% of Bulgarians surveyed said they felt happy or very happy, 10% described themselves as unhappy or very unhappy, and 43% said they felt neither happy nor unhappy. 2% cannot judge.
The index of happiness for the country this year is +35, which puts Bulgaria close to the center of the list of 44 countries included in the survey. For comparison, at the end of last year, the index for Bulgaria was +31.
The Gallup International’s End-of-the-Year survey has been conducted every year since 1977. This year, it was conducted in 44 countries around the world through interviews with 41,560 people. In each country in the period October-December 2021, about 1,000 people were interviewed face-to-face, telephone, or online.