According to a Eurobarometer survey, inflation and the rising cost of living are the biggest challenges facing Hungary.
While 45% of local respondents cite these factors as the main problems, the EU average is 33%. Hungarians are also pessimistic about the economic outlook. Only 20% expect the economic situation to improve in the next twelve months, which is in line with the EU figure. In contrast, 34% expect the situation to deteriorate. Personally, 63% of those surveyed in Germany consider themselves to be in a good financial situation, which is only just below the EU average of 68%.
According to 26% of Hungarians, the general economic situation is an important issue (EU: 18%). Healthcare is seen as a challenge by 28% – a figure that significantly exceeds the EU average of 15%. Environmental and climate issues, on the other hand, are less of a priority for Hungarians: only 7% see urgency here, compared to 12% in the EU. Problems such as housing or education are less of a focus. While 4% of respondents in the EU mention the housing problem, it is barely mentioned in Hungary. By contrast, Hungarians attach more importance to national debt (16% compared to the EU average of 12%).
Trust in the government and the EU
Trust in their own government stands at 41% (EU: 39%). According to the survey, most Hungarians get their information about European political issues from television. 51% of respondents cited TV news as the most important source of news, which is slightly below the EU average. Online news sources are gaining in importance in Hungary, but remain less utilised compared to the EU. Trust in the EU institutions is at 50%, which is close to the EU average of 51%. Across the EU, this is the highest value in 17 years. At 59%, approval is particularly high among young people (15-24 years).
Euro sympathies at all-time high
74% of Europeans feel like EU citizens and 6% are optimistic about the future of the Community. The positive image of the EU remains stable: 44% of respondents rate it as positive, 38% as neutral and only 17% as negative. 69% of respondents believe that the EU has sufficient resources to protect its economic interests on the global market. An equal majority see the EU as a stabilising factor in the uncertain global situation.
Support for the euro has reached an all-time high: 74% across the EU are in favour of the single currency, and 81% in the eurozone. There is also a slightly positive trend in the assessment of the economic situation: 48% of Europeans rate the economic conditions as good.
