Money is not the most important thing for Hungarians living in the Netherlands

According to a recent sociological research done with the contribution of Leave/Stay (an independent documentary series focusing on the Hungarian youth, mobility and migration), money is no longer the most important thing for Hungarians living in the Netherlands, hvg.hu writes.

The survey was done by Ágnes Tóth-Bos psychologist-researcher with the contribution of Leave/Stay and Wizz Air. Based on the results, more than 50% of the Hungarians have arrived to the Netherlands in the past 8 years, they are highly educated and satisfied with their lives, and their health, family, and even contributing to society is more important for them than money.

The number of first generation Hungarian migrants is 13,030 according to the official reports; 44,5% male and 55,5% female, and 65% of the 1000 respondents are women. The survey is not representative, because there are limited data and official statistics about the Hungarians living in the Netherlands.

What we do know is that 55% of them are among the ages of 20 and 40, and 76% of the respondents fall into the same age range. 59% of them have some sort of higher education, 85% are in economically active age groups and 79% have a job. More than 4 out of every 10 respondents (41%) have lived abroad before, and 77% is currently in a relationship (43% has a partner who’s nationality is not Hungarian).

The satisfaction of the Hungarians living in the Netherlands is rather high; 55% is fully satisfied or quite satisfied, 25% is rather satisfied, 18% is rather unsatisfied, and only 2% is fully dissatisfied with their life.

Their happiness and satisfaction is closely related to their knowledge of languages and their satisfaction with their current job. Having a job alone does not bring happiness to these Hungarians; it should be quality work, something that satisfies them.

Money, fame, and outer appearance are not that important; instead, Hungarians want good health, a family, and personal growth. Interesting enough but the survey revealed that the longer someone lives in the Netherlands the less they care about money.

Those who have immigrated to the Netherlands for financial advancement are less satisfied than those who have moved e.g. because of an opportunity of a better carrier, and those who left because they were dissatisfied with Hungary’s political, economic, or cultural situation had a significantly lower identity as Hungarians.

According to the responds the number of years spent in the Netherlands does not influence how much people think of themselves as Hungarians, and just because someone has integrated into the culture and everyday life it doesn’t mean that they lost their Hungarian identity.

For those who have come from a small town or a village, keeping Hungarian customs and habits is more important (27%) than for those who have come from a city (24%) or from Budapest (45%). This number is even higher for those having children (40%); they intend to teach their kids the Hungarian traditions.

Those who are fully satisfied responded that they will either never return to Hungary, or “maybe someday”, while those who are planning to return in the next couple of years are less satisfied with their lives. Those who will never return to the country or said: maybe, evaluated their Hungarian carrier as significantly less successful than any other groups.
Copy editor: bm

Source: hvg.hu