81% of Bulgarians want ban on construction at least within a kilometer from the shore – that is, at the areas not yet built-up

http://www.gallup-international.bg/bg/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8/80-2016/287-Polling-on-%D0%B5nvironment-issues-and-hypotheses

Bulgarians almost automatically accept any ideas for protection of Black Sea coast and nature as a whole. People with higher education and income are more sensitive to this issue. Apart from this, no distinctive differences can be outlined in the opinions of the various groups in the research, nor between partisans of various political parties.

These are the conclusions of Gallup International’s poll, part of the independent research program of the agency. A few weeks ago, a few assertions were tested, in order to check what the importance of the public opinions, prejudices or clichés is. This type of researches produces rather hypotheses, which should be subject to further research.
The attitude towards the Bulgarian Black Sea coast is like to something which needs saving. Eighty five percent of Bulgarians agree that various special measures are necessary, which should guarantee the preservation of the remaining unbuilt-up areas along the Black Sea coast. And this attitude is more expressed among people with higher education and income.

For example, experimentally was tested the attitude towards the option of banning construction within at least a kilometer from the shore – the areas not yet built-up. Although this sounds more extreme, this option is chosen by 81% of the respondents, and over 90% for people with higher education.

The recently circulated idea of the government for eco-beaches is welcome by 89%, who think that “There should necessarily be areas for natural tourism, in which there should be no construction.”


At the same time, 15% are of the opinion that nature protection hampers the economy. As can be expected, the share of such responses is higher in smaller towns – where the problem is closer. Two thirds share the opposite opinions. This means that there exists no contradiction between economy development and nature protection for the public at large. Obviously these two issues are considered independently.
The situation regarding the claim that “organisations engaged with nature protection are harmful for their countries” is similar. More than two thirds do not agree, and 11% agree. Here again, in smaller towns can be found more negative attitude towards environmental organisations.

This assertion was tested on account of the increasing criticizing of various nature protection organizations. Surely, here are received lots of automatic responses, but as a whole the idea that nature protection organisations hamper the development of the country has not gained a lot of traction among the public. At this stage, Bulgarians obviously do not favour such an outlook. At the same time however, the share of critical responses is not negligibly small and indicate a growing importance of this issue.

It turns out that nature is not a discussed topic in Bulgaria. The moods regarding the tested assertions in the poll are almost automatic. The attitudes are on principle and not concrete.
It is different however with the question about the ban of tents, which has received a lot of attention in the last months. The data indicates that Bulgarians rather do not support the ban for setting up tents on the beaches. The proposition “Setting tents on the beaches should be banned” is supported by 29%, and 40% are of the opposite opinion. Young people and people with higher education are naturally largely against.

The lack of stark differences in the opinions of various social groups indicates that nature protection is not regarded as a sharply political issue. Similar attitudes were identified also in 2012, when Gallup International again checked the moods on these issues.

The data is from the regular research of Gallup International Balkan, conducted May 13-19, 2016 among 819 Bulgarians of age through a direct interview. It is known as a monthly “Political and Economic Index of Gallup International”®. The maximum standard statistical deviation in 50-percent shares is + 3.5%. The methodology is comparable to all monthly regular polls of Gallup International in Bulgaria since 1992 till today.