In nine years, Bulgarian society has gone through five first-category crises, but despite the accumulation of economic, health and geopolitical shocks, people's sense of a fulfilling life remains surprisingly stable. This is one of the strongest conclusions from the new edition of the nationally representative survey “Full Life Index 2026“, presented by sociologist Dr. Rosen Kutelov.
The five major crises that society has gone through since the beginning of the measurements are: the migrant crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the inflationary shock, the fuel and energy crisis, and the wars. All of them have created a lasting sense of uncertainty. In recent times, the introduction of the euro and ongoing geopolitical tensions have also been added as factors.
“The intuitive expectation would be that in a state of so many crises, the index should fall“, explains Dr. Kutelov. However, the data shows otherwise - there is a decline, but over the entire nine-year period it is statistically insignificant. According to him, this is one of the strongest evidences of the Bulgarian's ability to adapt to an unfavorable environment and maintain mental balance.
Nine years of crises, almost unchanged index
The study tracks the Full Life Index from 2017 to 2026. At a maximum value of 1, it is 0.770 in 2017, 0.769 in 2018, 0.767 in 2020, reaches 0.776 in 2022 and decreases to 0.764 in 2026. At first glance, the latter value shows deterioration. In the longer term, however, the movement is minimal.
“This line is a symbol of the resilience of the Bulgarian“, commented Kutelov. According to him, people do not simply “survive“ in the series of crises, but change their goals, expectations and behavior in such a way as to preserve their internal balance.
The 2026 data is part of a nationally representative study with over 1,000 participants. It tracks 82 separate factors, grouped into seven large groups – health, goals, education, money, recreation, profession and relationships.
Money is the most desired, but the most difficult to achieve
One of the biggest contradictions in the life of a Bulgarian remains between financial desires and reality.
When people are asked what they desire most, money comes first. However, when they evaluate what they have actually achieved, finances come last. "First of all, I want to have money, last of all, I manage to achieve it," Kutelov summarizes.
The graph of the coverage of the individual groups shows the same thing. Recreation receives a score of 0.88, education - 0.80, relationships - 0.76, health and goals - 0.74 each, profession - 0.72, and money remains the lowest at 0.62.
Income also has a clear relationship with the overall feeling of fulfillment. The index is 0.6397 for people with no income and reaches 0.8689 for people with a personal monthly income of over EUR 2001.
Family remains the protection against uncertainty
The other great constant is relationships. They are the second most desired factor, but at the same time they are first among the things that people think they have actually achieved. According to Kutelov, it is precisely this coincidence between desire and reality that is among the main reasons why society maintains its resilience despite crises.
Among the most important specific factors for 2026 are good personal physical and mental health, the health of family and loved ones, financial security, a good family, healthy sleep and full communication with children.
The difference between people in whose households children under 18 live and the rest is particularly significant. For the former, the index reaches 0.7653, while for households without children it is 0.7162.
Bulgarians increasingly want to rest
However, beneath the relatively calm line of the overall index, serious changes in priorities are taking place. Between 2017 and 2026, the position of the desire “to relax, to rest“ – by 18 places has risen the most. “Income above the minimum“ has climbed 15 places, as has the desire to buy at a bargain. The feeling of freedom has moved up 11 places, and time with friends has moved up nine. Prolonged stress makes people consciously look for ways to restore their physical and mental strength.
“In order to survive, to do their job and to succeed, they need to relax“, explains the sociologist. In the conditions of five major crises, the natural reaction to anxiety, according to him, is precisely the search for rest and recovery.
The curious thing is that it is rest that shows the greatest movement among the seven main areas for the period 2017-2026 – amplitude 0.148 points. This is followed by profession with 0.146 and relationships with 0.116. Health is the most stable factor – just 0.048.
The profession is becoming increasingly important
Another distinct change is the growing importance of professional fulfillment. This is a direct response to financial stress. As people want more financial security, but feel that it is precisely when it comes to money that they achieve the least, they see the profession as a possible way forward.
“Now, more than ever in these nine years, the Bulgarian attaches increasing importance to the profession“, he notes.
Health, on the other hand, has hardly changed – not because it has become less important, but because it is already so high in the value system that there is practically no room for further growth.
After five large-scale crises in nine years, the main result of the study is not that they have not affected Bulgarians. On the contrary - they have changed their priorities. But so far they have not managed to destroy the foundations on which people build their sense of a fulfilling life - health, family, relationships and the ability to adapt.