Majority in CEE countries against migration – survey

The majority of people in the central, eastern and southern European countries are against migration and think preserving Christian culture important, a new survey Nézőpont Institute released on Thursday shows.

The survey was conducted by phone, between May 11 and June 11,

on representative samples of 1,000 people in 11 countries including Hungary, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Fully 74 percent of respondents thought that immigration from outside the continent was “not good” for Europe. The ratio was lowest in Germany and Austria, where 53 and 56 percent were against migration, respectively. Those saying that migration was good for the EU came to 5 percent in Hungary, 8 percent in Bulgaria, 11 percent in Slovakia and 13 percent in the Czech Republic, Nézőpont said.

Of all respondents in the survey countries, only 30 percent agreed with the EU’s resettlement quota scheme while 63 percent rejected it. Those in favour of the scheme were in majority only in Austria (64 percent), while 76 percent of the Visegrad Group countries’ were against.

A majority in most countries said they were dissatisfied with EU leaders.

Respondents in Romania were dissatisfied the least (33 percent), while 54 percent of Hungarians and 67 percent of Czechs rejected the Brussels “elite”.

Two-thirds of all respondents said that Europe’s Christian culture should be preserved, and 30 percent said that new religions and cultures should be accepted.

Giving preference to Christianity was supported by most respondents in Bulgaria (79 percent), followed by Slovakia (74 percent) and the Czech Republic (71 percent). Multiculturalism was accepted most among Croatians (37 percent), Germans (36 percent) and Austrians (34 percent), according to the survey.

As we wrote on Saturday, Italy is right to block “Soros vessels” from docking in its ports, Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party said, read more HERE.

We also wrote yesterday, Hungary refuses to accept a compromise when it comes to mandatory migrant quotas, the state secretary for European Union affairs said late on Tuesday after attending a meeting of EU ministers focusing on migration and the next EU budget in Luxembourg, read more HERE.

Photo: MTI/EPA/Felix Weiss

Source: MTI/Nézőpont