Almost two-thirds of Bulgarians believe in conspiracy theories, Todor Galev from the Centre for the Study of Democracy said for the BNR in a comment on the results of a rapid social survey to be presented today.

Most people believe that outside interference in the elections for European Parliament and National Assembly on 9 June could come from the American government, with the European Commission cited in second place. By far fewer respondents believe interference could come from Russia or Turkey.  

Bulgaria occupies one of the top places in Europe with regard to the share of the population who believe in disinformation and conspiracy theories, says Todor Galev, and goes on to add that conspiratorial thinking is deeply rooted in our social situation, which is why the public do not believe official institutions or the media, but trust in methods such as word of mouth.

Todor Galev explained this phenomenon with “the influence most of all of foreign governments who are trying to influence politics and the formation of public opinion in other countries by applying different mechanisms, including political or strategic corruption. This is connected with the geopolitical struggle for dominance and spheres of influence which has been growing more and more intense in Europe and beyond,” Todor Galev says.

The survey was conducted 25 May-2 June among 1,071 respondents over 16 jointly by the Central European and the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory. No comparative data are available as yet.