From De WAARHEID
Bulgarians, who gave up socialism in 1989, feel swindled by capitalism and remain one of the poorest European Union candidate countries.
"Bulgarians remember a time not so long ago when they could rely on their health and education systems, and when their holidays were guaranteed," said a political analyst Kolio Kolev of the Mediana Institute in Sofia.
"Thirteen years after the fall of communism this is no longer the case, and Bulgarians have become angry, radical and unhappy with their lot," he added.
In a recent study by the US Pew Research Center, less than 8 per cent of Bulgarians said that they were content with their lot – this is the lowest rate in continental Europe and equivalent to the rate in Tanzania, Africa’s most discontent country. The study was based on 38,000 individual interviews taken in 44 countries all across all five continents.
"The eight per cent who are satisfied in Bulgaria are the 8% that are well off," said politcal analyst Miroslava Yanova.
Bulgarian people have become demoralized and very small minority have benefited from the transition to market economy.
According to Jivka Georgiev of the Gallup Institute, less than 5% of Bulgarians have seen their standard of living improve since the fall of socialism, while 68% have dropped down the social scale.
According to the Bulgarian Statistical Institute, 40% of the country’s population has to live on a monthly income of less than 100 leva (49 Euro dollars). A recent report by UNICEF said that 33% of Bulgarian children and adolescence want to live abroad and that 78% want a higher standard of living.
"Nearly 40% of children, who used to get yearly state sponsored holidays and that were born after 1989 have never been on a holiday. One in five Bulgarian children have rotten teeth because their parents cannot afford to pay a dentist. The nation’s quality of life is collapsing," said Kolev.
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