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Is a transition from Eurooptimism towards Euroscepticism evident in Bulgaria? A study on Bulgarian public opinion

Lyubenova, Mariya (2015) Is a transition from Eurooptimism towards Euroscepticism evident in Bulgaria? A study on Bulgarian public opinion.

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Abstract:In order to meet the objective of the thesis, a major research question has been formulated as follows: To what extent is a transition from Eurooptimism to Euroscepticism discernable in Bulgarian public opinion after the accession to the European Union in 2007? In addition to this, two sub-questions have been elaborated, the answers of which are going to lead up to the answering of the main question: - To what extent is there a Eurosceptic trend in the public opinion, according to Eurobarometer surveys? - How is this trend expressed in the electronic media? As one of the major data sources for my analysis serve the Eurobarometer surveys from 2004 till 2014, by means of which we could analyze to what extent the Euroscepticism has expanded in the country. Eurobarometer is an appropriate data source for this study, because the surveys encompass questions regarding many and various social and political issues. The analysis of the results would lead to the answer of the first sub-question that is the cornerstone of this research. It aims at examining the presence of Euroscepticism in Bulgarian public opinion as well as at assessing the depth of its spread. The answer of the sub-question might also provide insights into the reasons for emergence of negative attitudes and into the main characteristics of the Eurosceptic trend in the country. The derived from the answer of the first sub-question information would allow us to delve deeper into this topic in order to achieve the objective of the thesis. Answering the second sub-question would give information about the representation of the Eurosceptic attitude towards the EU in the Bulgarian media. It is important to be considered if an Eurosceptic trend is to be found in the mass media, because this would confirm to some extent that the Euroscepticism is not only an illusory occurrence, but is rather carefully taking roots in the public opinion. In addition, the answer of this sub-question would provide an opportunity for new insights in the topic of Eurosceptic messages and their contribution to the arising of Euroscepticism. In order to answer the question, I will make use mainly of internet 5 media (e.g. online newspapers, news websites), since ca. 57% of the Bulgarian households have access to Internet.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:88 social and public administration
Programme:Management Society and Technology BSc (56654)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/68906
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