site.btaGallup International Balkan: 41% of Bulgarians Believe Violence among Children Stems from Lack of Family Attention

A total of 41.2% of Bulgarians believe that violence among children is mainly caused by lack of attention within the family, according to a survey by polling agency Gallup International Balkan, whose findings were released on Monday.

The nationally representative study is part of the agency’s independent research programme and was funded from its own resources. It was conducted between October 1 and 14, 2025, through 904 face-to-face interviews with adult citizens, using tablet-based data collection.

Sociologists said that, in Bulgarian society, the family has traditionally been regarded as the foundation of personal development and security. Therefore, respondents tend to see the roots of deviant and aggressive behaviour among minors in the home environment.

Respondents also identified a poor circle of friends (15.5%) and social media (15.1%) as factors contributing to violence. Gallup International Balkan called on parents to pay closer attention not only to their children’s friendships but also to their online interactions. This requires not just supervision, but emotional awareness and understanding of the digital environment in which adolescents grow up.

Some 9% of those surveyed cited the internet in general as a cause, beyond social media, as it often contains violent or misleading content that children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to. Another 9.2% pointed to deficiencies in moral education at school, which sociologists said should be compensated through active communication between parents, pupils and teachers. Education, they added, plays a key role in preparing young people for life’s challenges and for building healthy relationships.

Some 5.4% of respondents attributed aggressive behaviour to past exposure to violence, which, the researchers noted, supports the idea that “violence breeds violence.” A child who has witnessed or experienced violence is far more likely to display aggression later in life if not provided with timely emotional support, they said.

Psychological distress was cited as a factor by 2.8% of respondents. Although the share is small, it suggests growing public sensitivity toward mental health issues.

Gender analysis revealed notable differences. About 43% of women, compared to 39% of men, viewed the lack of family attention as the main cause. Sociologists linked this gap to men’s reluctance to acknowledge emotional deprivation within the household. In the traditional Bulgarian family, women are often seen as bearing primary responsibility for care and emotional connection, while men represent order and discipline.

A total of 17.2% of women identified negative peer influence as a key driver of aggression, compared to 13.2% of men. Views on social media were nearly identical across genders - 15.7% among men and 14.8% among women. Some 12% of men, compared to 6.7% of women, blamed insufficient upbringing at school. Meanwhile, 9.9% of men and 8.1% of women pointed to the internet as a main factor. More men (6.4%) than women (4.5%) linked aggression to past experiences of violence. Conversely, 3.4% of women, compared to 2.1% of men, regarded psychological distress as a major contributor, Gallup International Balkan said.