ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the attitudes of Bulgarians toward the state of the economy, the reasons for the crisis situation and the way out of it, as well as their evaluation of the government’s activities after 1989. The transition of Bulgarian society from one-party government, a centralised state-planned economy to democracy, a market economy and constitutional state was exactly the type of sudden, sharp and unexpected transition that Durkheim had in mind. Bulgarian society does not have the resources to reduce the negative consequences of unemployment and the social welfare system cannot cope with this new phenomenon. Bulgarian children are facing the danger of becoming victims of beatings, thefts, alcohol, sexual abuse, religious sects and drugs. The study of value differences in Bulgarian society frequently showed a significant disparity between stated ideological or moral attitudes and the real everyday practice of people.
