US survey: Number of EU supporter Hungarians drastically dropped, Huxit follows?

Last week, we reported that even the wealthiest Hungarian, Thomas Peterffy, believes there could be a Huxit in the future, despite its potentially devastating impact on the Hungarian economy. Recently, the Pew Research Centre (Pew) has been monitoring changes in Hungarians’ attitudes towards the EU, revealing a significant decline in the number and proportion of supporters.

As previously noted, it’s not just Mr Peterffy who envisions a scenario where Hungary might exit the European Union; even a Hungarian university lecturer, András Hettyey, from Budapest’s University of Public Service, has expressed this sentiment. He likened the Hungary-EU relationship to a troubled marriage, suggesting that although a Huxit might not be feasible in the short term, in 5-10 years, as Hungary becomes a net contributor to the EU’s budget, this question may receive a different response.

Evidently, Hungarian society’s sentiment towards the EU has considerably changed. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Pew Research Center, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of Hungarians who support the EU. In contrast, Poland has witnessed the opposite trend, where nine out of ten people maintain a positive view of the European community. Even the former governing party, PiS, which campaigned with anti-EU slogans criticising Brussels for frozen funds and rule of law concerns, could not sway people’s attitudes.

Hungarians are more pro-Russian than the EU average

Pew’s findings indicate that Hungarians exhibit a more pro-Russian stance than the EU average, a perspective that has remained unchanged even in the wake of the turmoil in Ukraine.

However, the Orbán government’s anti-Brussels campaign, highlighting the importance of safeguarding Hungary’s sovereignty, appears to have been more effective. In Hungary, support for the EU has dropped by 10% in just one year. Consequently, Hungary stands as one of the most eurosceptic states in the European Union. While 59% of its citizens maintain a positive view of the EU, the EU average is 69%. Meanwhile, 39% of Hungarians hold a negative attitude towards the European alliance, in contrast to the EU average of only 31%.

Nonetheless, when compared to France or Germany, the decline is not that drastic. In France, the decrease is 9%, with only 57% of the population expressing a positive opinion of the EU. In Germany, the drop is 7%, but a significant majority, 71%, still maintain a favourable stance towards the EU, 444.hu wrote.

Interestingly, in Greece, 50% of the population views the EU unfavourably, while 49% hold a favourable view, making them the most eurosceptic member state.

Thought-provoking statistics came from non-EU members. For instance, 83% of South Koreans, 70% of Kenyans and 66% of the British regard the EU favourably.

Hungarians are not the most EU-sceptics

It’s worth noting that in Hungary, the lowest favourable rating was recorded in 2018, at only 57%. The highest was in 2022, with 69%, but this declined to 59% in just one year, likely due to Viktor Orbán’s ongoing anti-Brussels campaign. This is corroborated by Pew’s ideology chart, which reveals that only 54% of right-wing voters in Hungary support the EU, while the figure is 81% for left-wing voters. This left-right divide is at +27, the second largest in the EU, surpassed only by the Netherlands (+29).

When considering the change from ’22 to ’23, the most substantial decrease was witnessed in Hungary, followed by France (-9%), Germany and the Netherlands (-7%) and Sweden (-6%).

For instance, in France (Orbán’s new ally, as discussed HERE), the lowest rating was in 2016, at only 38%, though it’s important to note that the UK departed from the EU when this figure stood at 44%.

You can access all the Pew data HERE.

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