More than half of Bulgarians (53%) believe that various forms of aggression have increased over the past three years, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by Trend Research Centre among 800 people through face-to-face interviews between September 5 and 18, 2026. The findings were presented here on Thursday at the Bulgarian News Agency’s (BTA) National Press Club by Evelina Slavkova of Trend.
A larger share of respondents who said aggression had increased live in the capital and larger cities, Slavkova said. Two-thirds of those surveyed consider aggression a very serious problem, while only 3% hold the opposite view.
Nearly half of respondents consider a slap an acceptable form of discipline for a child. One in four Bulgarians has been subjected to road rage, while one in three changes their behaviour out of fear of aggression, the survey also found. Overall, 96% of respondents described aggression as a serious social problem.
“We do not accept aggression, but we engage in it ourselves. This is a contradiction, and the survey findings are a red flag for the institutions,” Slavkova said.
Asked how often they had seen footage of actual physical violence in news reports or on social media over the past year, 36% said very often and 44% said often.
Asked what shaped their perceptions of aggression, 74% cited television, news websites and other media, 46% said their everyday observations, 41% pointed to social media, 29% to conversations with other people, 24% to incidents involving relatives or acquaintances, and 16% to personal experience.
In the past 12 months, 62% of respondents had witnessed shouting or threatening language, 53% had witnessed serious insults, swearing or humiliating remarks, 48% had witnessed road rage, 30% had witnessed threats, 24% had witnessed deliberate shoving, and 18% had witnessed a slap or another form of physical violence.
Asked whether a slap can sometimes be an acceptable way to discipline a child, 14% said they strongly agreed and 32% somewhat agreed, while 21% strongly disagreed. According to 40% of respondents, aggressive behaviour is sometimes necessary to prevent others from taking advantage of you. More than 30% believe there is nothing wrong with filming a physical assault instead of intervening or seeking help.
The survey also found that 64% consider the threat to their personal safety posed by so-called lokali — groups of young people associated with aggressive behaviour in public spaces — to be very serious or fairly serious. Another 30% said they could not assess the level of threat.
Over the past year, 35% of respondents had often or sometimes avoided certain places out of concern about aggression, while another 35% said they had not done so. Slavkova noted that a higher proportion of men gave this response.
Asked where aggressive behaviour was most commonly a problem, 52% cited streets and public places, 50% roads, 42% the family and home, 39% schools, and 33% restaurants, bars or clubs.
Regarding the most important forms of support for young people who repeatedly display aggressive behaviour, 57% of respondents cited a supportive family and social environment, 45% opportunities for education, personal development and employment, 41% greater awareness of the consequences of their own behaviour, and 35% access to psychological support.
The factors most commonly seen as contributing to repeated aggression were problematic alcohol and drug use, cited by 64% of respondents; the belief that aggression brings status or respect, cited by 57%; and an environment in which violence is considered normal, cited by 54%. More than half also pointed to the belief that violent behaviour carries no real consequences.
More than half of those surveyed said fear for their own safety would deter them from reporting an incident of aggression or cooperating as a witness.
Respondents identified five priorities for policies to curb aggression and violence: preventing substance abuse and providing early intervention; stronger police presence and faster responses; early support for families and children at risk; more effective penalties for serious or repeat violence; and greater access to education, employment and sports.
Psychologist Mladen Vladimirov said it was alarming that people lacked confidence that institutions would help them. It was also necessary to consider whether people who reported incidents could be protected, he added.
Large cities tend to foster aggression because of urbanization and anonymity, Vladimirov said. Society was ready for prevention and psychological intervention, he added. Young people should understand that they have the right to experience any emotion, but not to engage in any kind of behaviour, he said.
Madlen Mitova of the Ministry of Youth and Sports expressed concern over the finding that 42% of respondents approved of aggression at home. “We cannot intervene in the family, but we can intervene in the social environment,” she said.
Mitova noted that the ministry had a programme to fund youth centres where young people could participate in activities, develop social skills, work in teams and build relationships based on mutual respect. The centres would be given a legal basis through legislative amendments, with the aim of ensuring their funding, she said. Sport was a key means of preventing aggression among 15- to 18-year-olds, she added.
MP Miroslav Ivanov said representatives of numerous institutions should take part in the discussion and commit to working on the issue over an extended period. He called for an impact assessment of policies targeting young people.
Ivanov expressed doubt that more than one-third of young people knew about the youth centres. He also said that few young people appeared to understand the consequences their aggressive actions could have for themselves and their families.
Survey: 53% of Bulgarians Say Aggression Has Increased over Past Three Years 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-15 12:49:39
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