Sharp drop in percentage of Hungarians who think Hungary's voice matters in the EU, Eurobarometer reveals

According to the European Parliament's (EP) opinion poll released on Thursday, 68 percent of Hungarians are optimistic about the future of the EU, the body's statement said. Forty-seven percent of Hungarian respondents had a positive view of the EU, while only 14 percent had a negative one.

According to Eurobarometer,

74 percent of Hungarian respondents believe that EU membership has been to Hungary's advantage (while 21 percent see it as a disadvantage).

The top four reasons for this are: new job opportunities (40 percent), the country's economic development (34 percent), rising living standards (22 percent) and cooperation between member states (20 percent).

According to the results of the representative survey, Hungarians are actually slightly more optimistic than the EU average about the Union's future (65 percent) and approximately the same number has a positive view of the EU. In the EU, this was 48 percent compared to 16 percent who have a negative view of the Union. 70 percent of Hungarians believe that EU membership is beneficial for their country, a figure which has remained stable in recent years. However, when it comes to the rationale of why they consider EU membership beneficial for their country, the breakdown of the EU average is quite different from that of Hungarians: increased co-operation between Member States (36 percent) is first on the list, protecting peace and strengthening security (32 percent) is second, followed by the EU’s contribution to economic growth (28 percent), and the creation of new job opportunities (24 percent).

More than half of all Hungarians, 53 percent, were motivated to vote in the June European Parliament (EP) elections by the rising prices and the cost of living. The economic situation came second with 46 percent, followed by the international situation (36 percent). Health and social well-being came fourth (35 percent), while the rule of law motivated 32 percent. 56 percent of those who did not vote cited the cost of living for their decision, while 46 percent said their motivator for staying away was the economic situation.

The order of the top three reasons was the same across the entire EU. However, rising prices and the cost of living motivated a much smaller proportion of voters in the EU than in Hungary (42 percent). The economic situation was cited by 41 percent, while a third of the respondents (34 percent) cited the international situation. A similar proportion referred to the protection of democracy and the rule of law (32 percent). Those who did not vote also said that the cost of living (46 percent) and the economic situation (36 percent) would have been motivating factors for them to go to the polls.

42 percent of EU citizens have a positive image of the European Parliament, which is the highest ever, according to the EP. At 44 percent, this figure is even higher in Hungary than the EU average, despite the Hungarian government’s frequent criticism of the body and the Hungarian Parliament having adopted a resolution that would do away with the direct election of MEPs.

56 percent of EU respondents agreed that their voice in the EU matters, an increase of eight percent compared to February-March 2024. At the same time

only 44 percent of Hungarians thought their voice mattered in the EU, which is a decrease of 16 percent since February.

38 percent of Hungarian respondents said they always vote, 29 percent said it was their civic duty to do so and 25 percent voted in order to express support for the party or candidate of their choice. 41 percent of Hungarian voters (7 percent less than in 2019) chose a party based on how they liked that party's proposals on the issue that mattered most to them. 40 percent made a decision on who to vote for based on habit, and

only 38 percent of Hungarian voters said they made their choice based on the particular party's proposals on European issues.