Intercultural tolerance of students in Medical University – Pleven, Bulgaria

Abstract Introduction The process of globalisation and free movement of people for work and education creates multinational communities at universities, which emphasises the importance of building tolerance towards cultural values. Awareness of the need for tolerance found expression in the initiative of UNESCO and the UN General Assembly in 1995 by creation of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. The aim of this research is to observe the cooperation and possible issues between Bulgarian and foreign medical students at Medical University - Pleven. Materials and methods An online questionnaire on 75 Bulgarian medical students in April 2025 at Medical University - Pleven, Social medicine and health management Department was conducted. Results 53 of the respondents (78,0%) think cultural differences can enrich the educational process at the university, 10 (15,0%) can't estimate and 5 (7,0%) answered rather no. 55 of the students (81,0%) would support the organisation of events promoting intercultural tolerance and diversity, 10 (15,0%) don't have opinion and 3 (4,0%) answered rather no. The results of the analysis showed a moderately positive and statistically significant relationship between attitudes towards the role of cultural differences in the educational process and willingness to support initiatives promoting intercultural tolerance in the university environment (τᵦ = 0.447, p < 0.001). This suggests that participants who perceive cultural diversity as enriching are more likely to express support for such events. Conclusions In 21st century Intercultural tolerance is a topic gaining more importance by each day. The cooperation between different cultures is applicable in our everyday life - from the daily activities, to work and educational tasks. Thus, studying the intercultural tolerance among Bulgarian medical students is very accurate. The current study is an initial point for further investigation including foreign students at the university. Key messages • The process of globalisation of people for work and education creates multinational communities at universities which predispose conducting a study on the topic of Intercultural tolerance. • Statistical analysis of the results suggests that participants who perceive cultural diversity as enriching are more likely to express support for such events at university setting.