Publicus Institute, commissioned by the Hungarian MEP István Ujhelyi, measured the public opinion towards Hungary’s foreign policy by surveying 2006 individuals in a nationwide representative poll conducted between the 3rd and the 14th of February 2022.
(Ezen kutatás magyar nyelven itt olvasható.)
Two-thirds of respondents rather agree with the statement that Viktor Orbán and his government are damaging European unity in the interests of Russian President Putin, thereby endangering the security of Europe and Hungary.
According to the majority of respondents, the current foreign policy of the Hungarian government primarily serves the interests of Russia.
Nearly every second respondent considers peace and cooperation among Member States the most important from the European Union’s values. One in four respondents mentions the security of the rule of law as most important.
Eight out of ten respondents rather agree with the statement that in terms of values, Hungary traditionally belongs to the West, so in the future it should strive towards the West. However, 40 percent of pro-government voters and 17 percent of undecided voters rather disagree with this statement.
Eight out of ten respondents rather disagree with the statement that Hungary’s interest is to get closer to Russia and away from the European Union and the United States.
Nine out of ten respondents rather agree with the statement that Hungary’s NATO membership means security for Hungary, therefore cooperation in NATO is of supreme importance.
Two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) rather agree that Viktor Orbán and his government are damaging European unity in the interests of Russian President Putin, endangering the security of Europe and Hungary. Nine out of ten (88 percent) opposition voters, the majority of undecided voters (54 percent) and one in ten (11 per cent) Fidesz voters say the same.
The larger the settlement where they live, the more the respondents agree that the Hungarian Prime Minister and his government have taken various foreign policy steps in the interests of Russian President Putin. 58 percent of those living in villages think this, compared to 76 percent of those living in Budapest.
Nearly one in two respondents (47 percent) consider peace and cooperation among member states to be the most important of the European Union’s values. One in four (26 percent) respondents mentions the security of the rule of law. 8 percent of the respondents emphasize economic benefits and another 8 percent the abolition of borders and the freedom of movement, while 7 percent mention the free movement of labour.
Fidesz voters and undecided voters (58 and 50 percent) see peace and cooperation as the EU’s most important value. And the security of the rule of law is most emphasized by opposition voters (32 percent).
The vast majority of respondents (84 percent) consider peace and cooperation among member states to be very important among the EU’s values. Nine out of ten (89 percent) opposition voters, eight out of ten (80 percent) undecided voters and seven out of ten (72 percent) Fidesz voters say this.
According to the majority of respondents (53 percent), the current foreign policy of the Hungarian government primarily serves the interests of Russia. 3 percent of respondents mention the EU and 1 percent the United States. According to three out of ten respondents (29 percent), the government’s foreign policy primarily serves Hungary’s interests and none of the above.
According to seven out of ten (70 percent) opposition voters, 44 percent of undecided voters and 6 percent of Fidesz voters, the current foreign policy of the Hungarian government primarily serves Russia’s interests.
Fidesz voters in particular (83 percent) see that the government’s foreign policy primarily serves Hungary’s interests, whereas 28 percent of undecided voters and 12 percent of opposition voters say the same.
The larger the settlement where they live, the more the respondent sees that the current foreign policy of the Hungarian government considers Russia’s interests supreme. While in Budapest, 63 percent think it this way, in the villages 44 percent – a majority at all settlement types.
Nine out of ten respondents (89 percent) rather agree with the statement that it is important for Hungary to maintain a good relationship with the United States.
Eight out of ten respondents (82 percent) rather agree that in terms of values, Hungary traditionally belongs to the West, so in the future it should strive towards the West.
Eight out of ten respondents (81 percent) rather disagree that it is in Hungary’s interest to get closer to Russia and away from the European Union and the United States.
Seven out of ten respondents (71 percent) rather disagree with the statement that Hungary should not belong to either the West or the East, it could have an independent future.
According to 96 percent of the opposition voters, 73 percent of the undecided voters and 49 percent of the Fidesz voters, in terms of values, Hungary traditionally belongs to the West, so in the future it should strive towards the West. At the same time, however, 40 percent of pro-government voters and 17 percent of undecided voters rather disagree with this statement.
Nine out of ten (89 percent) opposition voters, three-quarters (75 percent) of undecided voters and two-thirds (65 percent) of Fidesz voters rather disagree with the statement that it is in Hungary’s interest to move closer to Russia and away from the European Union and the United States.
However, 23 percent of Fidesz voters, 12 percent of undecided voters and 8 percent of opposition voters rather agree with this statement.
Nine out of ten respondents (88 percent) rather agree with the statement that Hungary’s NATO membership means security for Hungary, therefore cooperation in NATO is of utmost importance. 94 percent of opposition voters, 79 percent of undecided voters, and 76 percent of Fidesz voters think so.
[In our previous survey conducted in early February 2022, we asked if a referendum were to be held on Sunday on whether Hungary should join NATO – seven out of ten (72 percent) respondents would choose to vote in favour. And if the question were whether Hungary should withdraw from NATO, three-quarters of respondents (76 percent) would vote against withdrawal, and for maintaining membership.]
(Ezen kutatás magyar nyelven itt olvasható)
Methodology
The survey was conducted by Publicus Institute, between the 15th and the 19th of February 2022, polling 2006 individuals via phone, who are representative of the adult population of Hungary. The potential distortions of sampling were corrected with weighting based on the data from the 2016 KSH census data. The attributes of the surveyed accurately resemble those of the Hungarian population by their sex, age, educational attainment, regional and settlement wise composition. With this sample size, we can state with a 95 percent confidence level that the data obtained through testing would only differ by +/-2,1 percent at most from that we would have gotten when surveying all 18 year old or older residents. The statistical error is larger however, when the distribution is configured not to all surveyed, but to certain smaller subgroups.
