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How happy are the people of Hungary: Political climate edition
Hungary’s increasingly bitter political climate is no longer confined to parliamentary debates or election rallies. According to the latest national happiness survey conducted by Pénzcentrum, the tone of public discourse has begun to seep into everyday life, shaping moods, fuelling frustration and, for some, potentially undermining long-term wellbeing.
Are the people of Hungary content with the political landscape?
The survey, carried out at the end of last year as part of Pénzcentrum’s regular assessment of life satisfaction in Hungary, set out to explore what happiness really means for people today. While no definitive formula emerged, the findings paint a clear picture: public affairs, political communication and economic performance have become powerful emotional stressors for a growing share of the population.
This year’s research marks the third instalment of the survey series. Earlier sections examined personal satisfaction, perceived health, financial security, social relationships, work-related fulfilment and opportunities for self-realisation. The latest chapter widens the lens, focusing on how broader national and global developments influence daily contentment.
Politics as a source of frustration
One of the most telling questions asked respondents how frustrating they find Hungary’s political life and public discourse. On a scale from one to ten, the average score reached 7.2, signalling a slight but steady increase compared to previous years. In 2023, the average stood at 7.1, while two years earlier it was 6.8. The trend suggests a gradual erosion of tolerance towards the prevailing tone of political communication.
The sense of frustration is far from evenly distributed. Older respondents, particularly those over the age of 65, reported significantly higher stress levels linked to politics than younger participants. Those under 25 expressed notably lower levels of irritation, hinting at generational differences in political engagement or emotional exposure.
This frustration is present in every social level
Education also plays a decisive role. The higher the level of formal education, the stronger the frustration appears to be. Among university graduates and those holding doctoral degrees, average scores climbed to 7.5 and 7.6 respectively. By contrast, respondents with only primary education rated their frustration at around six points. This pattern suggests that people who follow public affairs more closely may be more sensitive to the aggressive or polarising nature of political debate.
Occupational background further sharpens the picture. Public workers, entrepreneurs and those receiving childcare benefits all reported similarly high frustration levels, averaging around 7.3. Meanwhile, public works employees recorded the lowest score at six points. Researchers note that individuals who interact more directly with state institutions or feel a stronger sense of social responsibility may be particularly affected by shifts in political tone.
We are not as sophisticated as we used to be
With Hungary heading into the 2026 election year, campaigning is already intensifying, and so is the rhetoric. Respondents were asked whether they felt the style of political discourse had improved, worsened or remained unchanged over the past year. The verdict was strikingly clear.
An overwhelming 85.74 per cent of respondents believe the tone has deteriorated. Just over 12 per cent saw no change, while a mere 2.19 per cent felt it had improved. Across all age groups, the perception of decline dominated. Younger respondents were slightly more likely to say the situation remained the same, while near-unanimity emerged among those over 65 that public discourse has become harsher. The idea that it has improved was virtually absent in every demographic.
The findings reflect widespread fatigue with confrontational language, personal attacks and divisive messaging, particularly on social media and in public debates. For many, this constant exposure to hostility has become impossible to ignore.
Economic pressure and emotional strain
Beyond politics, economic performance is another major factor shaping public mood. Participants were asked how much recent economic developments affected their general emotional state, again using a ten-point scale. The results suggest deep unease. High scores were common, with the maximum value of ten appearing with notable frequency, pointing to intense anxiety among many respondents.
Older age groups once again felt the greatest pressure. Among those over 65, the average frustration level reached 6.4, compared to just 5.2 among respondents under 25. Life stage, future prospects and financial vulnerability all appear to influence how economic uncertainty is experienced.
Employment status further highlights inequality in emotional impact. While public works employees reported relatively low levels of stress, the highest frustration was recorded among unemployed individuals and those receiving childcare benefits. These groups, often facing insecurity or transition, seem particularly exposed to economic shocks.
It often is in life that it is hard to know how happy you are until aspects of that happiness either diminish entirely.
Case in point, my country – the disUnited States of America.
Looking back at the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, even the 1980s – we, as a nation, were incredibly happy – actually giddy and bubbly compared to where we are now.
How does this pertain to the coming election in Hungary?
My view, as a White Southerner, living in the United States, is that, though Hungarians are not a financially rich nation, and, yes, apparently suffer from a frustrating amount of corruption at institutional levels, that, as a whole, y’all Hungarians are a healthy and happy people – much more so than are we.
In fact, now that I understand Hungarian reasonably well, and listen to every sort of Hungarian on my computer, I have come to think that y’all are a bit spoiled.
You have it good, or, if not that, then better than we, and, I do believe, in Germany, France, England, and the Low Countries currently do.
You think your current prime minister is a sham and a flop?
Trying living under a Merz, Biden, Macron, Van der Leyen, or a Starmer.
You’ll find out soon enough what a real sham is.
My hopes for y’all is that y’all make a good choice this coming election, so that you do not find out how good you had it in the early 2020s.
Funny you should mention you closely follow Hungary via the WWW. As you may know, digital media landscapes can be highly curated.
Hungary is one of the worst (hence an example for some…) with a very polarized media environment. Fidesz-aligned media projects a very positive, unified image of the country.
The “happiness” you “see” on the WWW you interpret as resilience. However, living and working here I can quite confidently state there is a lot of struggle, inflation and brain drain.
Beware of the algorithm!
I agree with you about the perils of constant manipulations, Dear Norbert.
The way I prevent this is that I listen to everybody – from your people, to Fidesz, to Mi Hazánk.
I also listen to many independent podcasters – like Pottyondi Edina, Ungváry Krisztián, Juhász Péter, Raffay Érnő, Magyar Önvedelmi Mozgolom etc, etc…
I also have familiarized myself with which sites are Fidesz (like Mándiner) or Western Elite sites (like Partizan or Telex)
Nobody can avoid being fooled all the time, but, because I am willing to listen to people with whom I totally disagree, on a daily basis, if I get fooled, I do not stay that way long.
@mouton – in theory, being willing to listen to everybody is a good instinct. However, the mix you mention is hardly balanced. This matters, because many of your “sources” are far right groups and open propagandists. They systematically distort facts, launder conspiracy theories, or normalize hatred – hardly a different opinion.
Critical thinking means not only listening to folks you disagree with, but also being willing to admit that certain sources are so consistently dishonest or extremist that they cannot be a considered a serious source.
Facts and data – @Mouton. Please focus?
‘The “happiness” you “see” on the WWW you interpret as resilience. However, living and working here I can quite confidently state there is a lot of struggle, inflation and brain drain.’
Fair enough, Dear Norbert, but, just because a person or a society is happy does not mean all is endless bliss.
As one Indian doctor I like to listen to is fond to say : ‘Life is inflammation’.
As someone that used to have Orban as the local PM and now has Starmer, I can confidently state that life with Starmer as PM is far better.
I suspect you’ve never lived in Hungary and as someone else has commented, impressions of life in Hungary via government controlled media are carefully curated and highly stylised. I’ve not been anywhere in Europe where people are more irritable and dissatisfied than in Hungary and I find it has got significantly worse in the last decade to the point that I no longer wish to spend any time there. Fundamentally I have great affection for the Hungarian people and feel profoundly sorry for them.
If you have a good life, Dear Steve, that is great, but, the Brits to whom I listen are badly effected by Starmer, starting with business people.
Moreover, Starmer is busy replacing his own people with non-Europeans.
The only crime worse than this is rounding up people and shooting them without trials.
Both, however, lead to the same thing – the death of a people.
So, you can keep you Starmer, I would choose Orbán anyday.
That isn’t a country I recognise. Moreover, very little has changed when the Labour government took over from the Conservatives after their 14 years in power. This is part of the problem; we need imaginative, audacious solutions and Labour under Starmer is pursuing much the same path that led the UK into a state of underfunded, managed decline. It is however false to claim that they’ve made major changes that have served to negatively affect the country, quite the opposite in fact, they’re a steady hand on the wheel.
If anyone allowed immigration to run wildly out of control in the UK it’s the previous Conservatives under whom the ‘small boats crisis’ began (due in no small part due to Brexit that extinguished the UK’s ability to deport these people back to France) and who permitted well over 2 million non-EU nationals to enter the country with legal visas in the space of a few years, often with little in the way of education or language skills. Immigration has fallen dramatically under Starmer who recognises the degree of upset it has caused.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and polite answer, Dear Steve.
I certainly agree with you that your current prime minister has invented nothing of his own, nor, in my view, has he done anything to impede the horrific digresses of his predecessors.
As one who comes from an Anglo country, Dixie, and one whose mother’s people came from Shropshire and East Anglia in the early and mid 17th centuries, it has been very very painful to watch Britain be taken apart, bit by bit.
Our current president shares this view, and, to my end, is in the process of changing the downward plunge of Great Britain into Islam.
In any case, I wish you the best and I am very happy that you are happy in your new country.
@mouton can I just point out the language you’re using about the death of a people and Britain somehow plunging into Islam is inaccurate and aligns with classic ethnonationalist rhetoric that has been used extensively to justify real world violence.
Framing demographic change as something just one step below mass executions turn fellow citizens into an existential threat rather than people with equal rights and dignity is downright reprehensible.
On to facts and data, then – as opposed to the emotive stuff you prefer to post. Fact is that Britain remains majority non-religious or Christian – 90 percent, actually. Muslims are a small minority (6 to 7 percent, since you ask). You can absolutely criticize Labour, Starmer, Brexit, or any government policy, however criticism should be based on facts and data, not on fictional civilizational doom narratives.
Once politics becomes about ethnic or religious survival rather than policy and outcomes, history shows it rarely ends well. For anyone implicated.
Thank you, Norbert, for your reasoned contribution. Yes, the UK is not on the verge of national extinction or finding its population ‘replaced’ by the work nefarious actors. The Islamic population is sizeable, growing and above what most people in the UK would find desirable, but native Britons are not about to find themselves exinct in their homeland.
Nationalist politics in central Europe heavily focuses on Islamic immigration when, in fact, this is only a piece of the story in the UK, a country that has been a target for immigration for over 50 years and where large diasporas live from many former colonies, most of whom are not in fact followers of the Islamic faith. The UK’s most sizeable non-native communities are actually Indian (mostly Hindus), black (both African and Carribbean, many of whom are Christian and amongst the most devout churchgoers in the country) as well as (yes indeed) Polish (99.9% of which are Catholic Christians). After Indian, Polish is the next largest diaspora community although sadly their numbers are declining due to the draw to move home as Poland becomes richer and more developed while the UK stagnates.
What could be the difference between this and the last election?
Maybe a major political figure promising gulags if he wins might contribute to the people thinking the “tone” of political discourse is deteriorating?
And, just possibly, the rage-monger rhetoric that is designed to bait the young and inexperienced voter into a fatal mistake to the nation is less frustrating to the young people, because they are mislead?
It is Magyar, who is spreading hatred, making threats, promises violence. And don’t get me wrong, I am not a tree-fagot hippy. I would like the death penalty reintroduced, for example, so I understand that sometimes you need to use force. But I don’t want political figures under threat of violence.
Ahhh… The Fight for Survival! Enemy at the Gates! Only our Politicians can save Hungary!
“Hate Brussels!”, “Hate the Global Elites!”, “Hate the Wokeraty!”, “If the opposition wins, they will send our sons to war!”, “They will turn our children into the opposite gender!”, “Hungarian culture is on the ballot!”, “The Apocalypse is nigh!”.
BE AFRAID!
Let’s engage emotion to bypass the brain, shall we? Why consider facts and data when you can just give yourself over to the comfort of rage-monger rhetoric? Ever consider our Politicians’ worst fear is actually to not be in power? Power is so addictive … And for Fidesz, losing power is an existential threat.
“Hate Brussels!”, “Hate the Global Elites!”, “Hate the Wokeraty!”, “If the opposition wins, they will send our sons to war!”, “They will turn our children into the opposite gender!”, “Hungarian culture is on the ballot!”, “The Apocalypse is nigh!”.
Actually, Dear Norbert, that message is from Mi Hazánk, and, just like with so many other matters Fidesz borrows from them.
That said, Fidesz understands how to beat The Left, and The Left has not yet figured out how to beat Fidesz.
@Mouton – I personally hope Hungarian politics can rise above mobilizing resentment, apocalyptic talk and permanent culture wars.
Saying that Fidesz understands how to beat “The Left” is just another way of demonstrating our Politicians have mastered fear, scapegoating and media control better than their poitical opponents?
Weird argument to make, in my opinion.
“What could be the difference between this and the last election?”
For me, looking on from the southern part of the United States, the only differences I can find in this Hungarian election and the previous one is the backdrop – now a war is going on, and this election follows on the heels of massive Bruxelles’s interference, this by having illegally and unjustly withheld Hungarian tax money from Hungarian citizens, for 2 years now..
They tried to crash the Hungarian economy, to get rid of Orbán, and, for a time, it really did look like Hungarians were going to be fooled by this.
But, alas, Hungarians, as a whole, seemed to have thought their way through this and or on track to defeating the latest Bruxelles’s candidate.
‘It is Magyar, who is spreading hatred, making threats, promises violence.’
This is true, but, to be blunt : Marki-Zay was too nice of a person, too good of a family man, and too UNmurderous, to be a really good candidate for The Modern Hungarian Left.
I’d like a dollar for everytime Magyar has threatened others, especially reporters, since he decided to run.
What I have seen from Mr. Magyar so far is harsh criticism of the government, strong language about corruption and accountability, and threat of legal consequences for Politicians who broke the law.
You may dislike his style or disagree with his politics, but (facts and data, AGAIN) terming this hatred or “violence without evidence is propaganda, not analysis.
So. CHALLENGE – @Mouton. Concrete examples, please, as to where Mr. Magyar literally incites violence or hatred against a group? A full sentences, with dates and context? You have lots, right? Since 5 dollars does not buy you a coffee in the US? If not … Then you are just trying to smear him by equating criticism with extremism. Looking forward to the list!
Mouton sometimes he is from Hungary, sometimes from England.
While the reality that he is a naive AI bot more likely designed by Mi Hazánk!. And please dont forget his endless language talent of speaking his mother tongue Russian, alongside English, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Spanish…………….stb.
Please dont hesitate to send me a message to my email to examine your talent!
Mech.blu.project@gmail.com 😂😂