Attitudes towards Refugees in Bulgaria: Mainstream and Social Media Analysis

Abstract

The international environment, characterized by a large number of disturbances and security shortages of all aspects, force people around the world to flee their countries of origin. This large number of newcomers raises the important question of local community attitudes and perceptions. Data has shown that migration processes became particularly relevant in 2014-2016 as a result of the mass uprisings along the Arab world (2010) when more than a million people sought asylum in the European Union (EU) and after 2020, marked by a new rise in the number of asylum seekers after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. By conducting an analysis of the public opinion of Bulgarians and discussing the attitudes towards different nationalities of migrant in mainstream and social media, this paper shows the existence of predominantly negative connotations to representatives of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries and a shift from positive to negative sentiments to Ukrainians.