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Hungary takes first and second for best value music festivals in the world!

Music festivals are loved all around the globe. There is nothing quite like coming together in a crowd of people, united in good music and an electric atmosphere. But with 2020’s festival roster effectively cancelled, and 2021 saw only a partial return, 2022 looks set to be a year like no other as music festivals make their long-awaited return.

That’s why we’ve found out which are the best value festivals around the world, ranking the best events for music lovers to visit so that they can have a revival with a bang – and for their buck. We compiled the index by analysing a variety of factors that every music festival reveller will deem important and we then identified which events around the world rank the best for these factors. This included the ticket value, which was analysed by comparing the cost of the ticket in comparison to the festival’s headliners, as well as the price of a beer, burger and t-shirt at the event.

Balaton Sound, Hungary

Balaton Sound is one of Europe’s largest open air electronic music festivals. Held annually since 2007 on the south bank of Lake Balaton in Hungary, it features live acts and DJs from all around the world right from established artists through to up-and-coming names. And considering that Hungary is considered to be one of the cheapest countries in Europe, it’s not surprising that Balaton Sound has taken the top spot as the best value music festival in the world.

The 5-day festival ranked highly for the price of food and drink with prices for a beer and burger coming in at £1.70 and £3.66 respectively – absolute bargain! Balaton Sound also ranked highly for anyone looking to take home some memorabilia as the cost for a festival t-shirt is less than £10.

Sziget Festival, Hungary

And it’s another Hungarian festival in the second spot – Sziget Festival. The festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe, with more than 1,000 performances taking place each year. Meaning “the island” in Hungarian, Sziget is held every August on Óbudai-sziget, a leafy 108-hectare island in northern Budapest on the Danube.

Here are the best concerts to catch in Budapest

The festival is quite an event but offers fantastic value for money with the £300 ticket working out at £44 per day – not bad at all when you’re enjoying the likes of the Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Florence + The Machine!

EXIT Festival, Serbia

EXIT is a summer music festival held at Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. Founded in 2000, it won the ‘Best Major Festival’ award at the European Festivals Awards in 2013 and 2017, as well as the ‘Best European Festival’ award at the UK Festival Awards in 2007.

The Serbian festival ranked second cheapest for getting a bite to eat, with a burger coming in at around £3.00. EXIT also ranked highly for the price of a ticket in comparison to its headliners. 2019 saw The Cure, Carl Cox and Tom Walker all take to the stage and, with a combined concert ticket price of £193.88, EXIT festival’s £89.00 price is an absolute steal!

Street Parade, Switzerland

In August, Zurich comes alive as hundreds of thousands of people take to the street for the most attended techno parade in the world, Street Parade. Brightly adorned trucks, called ‘love mobiles’, packed with great music systems and top DJs drive slowly through the crowd of people around Lake Zurich. Street Parade is known as a peaceful electronic music festival – a positive demonstration of peace, generosity, love, tolerance and freedom.

Street Parade takes the top spot for the best value festival in the world in terms of the artists playing. The combined total of the top headliners may be less than other festivals but considering that it’s completely free to attend and hosts acts such as Elrow, John Digweed, and Andros Campo, Street Parade is undoubtedly excellent value.

Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic

One of the biggest international music festivals in Europe, Colours of Ostrava is an eclectic multi-genre event held on the grounds of a former ironworks factory in Dolní Vítkovice Ostrava. Each year, the festival brings some of the biggest names in rock, pop, indie, and electronic artists to the Czech Republic.

Any beer fans should definitely head to the 4-day event as the price of a beer is considerably cheaper than the majority of other festivals around the world, coming in at only £1.44. Colours of Ostrava is also great value for money as a £112.19 ticket enables you to see huge names such as The Cure, Florence + The Machine and Rag’n’Bone Man.

Read the original study HERE.

christmas, fair, Budapest
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Do Hungarian authorities hide the most crucial COVID data?

Coronavirus

Hungarian biostatistician Tamás Ferenci, a fellow lecturer of the Óbuda University, wrote that treating people as partners, transparency, and honest communication would be fundamental for a successful defence. He published an article yesterday in which he drew attention to the deficiencies and contradictions of COVID data sharing in Hungary.

Hungarian biostatistician tells the solution

According to telex.hu, Ferenci gave a detailed list of what data the government and authorities should publish. He cited foreign examples not only from the West but also from the East supporting the importance of transparency.

The list of the needed data is very long. To sum it up, Ferenci argues that the

authorities should share more details, arranged according to more aspects.

Moreover, he says that Hungary would need more frequent data sharing in the following topics.

– the age, gender, and geographical distribution of the infected, people treated in hospitals, in intensive care units and receiving respiration support

– the number, type, geographical distribution of the tests and the time between the testing and the result

– details about the capacities of the hospitals

National vaccination campaign gets under way

 

– Ferenci says that we should know more about the patients treated in the hospitals. We should know all their diseases, the therapy they receive, their general condition. Moreover, we should know how many recovered, were transferred to other departments, or died

– data about the vaccines administered. For example, we should know the regional distribution of the jabs

– Ferenci argues that Hungarians should know how many inoculated people became infected, were treated in the hospitals, or died. Furthermore, authorities should also share the type of vaccine they received

– Moreover, the authorities never reported the side effects of the COVID vaccines

– authorities do not share the variants of the virus currently present in Hungary. For example, we only know that the delta plus variant arrived from a statement of the chief medical officer

– Meanwhile, Ferenci believes that it is needless to share so many details about the diseased because they make them indentifiable

Hungary has enough vaccine, says minister

It would not require money or plus energy

He added that the list above would not require more money or energy. 60-70 percent of them would only need will and creating a proper data surveillance system. He said that the Hungarian authorities are cynical when they say they cannot share the age distribution of the infected because of data protection reasons. However,

they share so many details about the diseased that they can sometimes be identified.

The Hungarian biostatistician said that the authorities could only win the trust of the people with higher transparency. He says that regular and professional data sharing drives authorities to work better. Without that, there is no outside control, and mistakes remain hidden instead of corrected.

He says that data sharing is better not only in the USA or in the UK but also Romania and North Macedonia. In the USA, the citizens even know which hospital struggles with a labour shortage.

coronavirus vaccine injection
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Semmelweis University 55th best globally in cardiovascular systems

Hungary Semmelweis university
Semmelweis University has improved its positions in several areas in the US News Best Global Universities 2022 ranking, the university said on Friday.
 
The university improved 32 places and stood at 55th place in the subject ranking of cardiac and cardiovascular systems, the statement added.
 
The university improved its position by 24 places and was ranked at 121st place globally in endocrinology and metabolism, at 321st place in biology and biochemistry, 202nd place in cell biology, 200th place in clinical medicine, 345th place in molecular biology and genetics, 324th place in neuroscience and behaviour, and 218th place in oncology, the statement said.
 
Meanwhile, preparations have started for the implementation of Hungary’s space strategy with the aim to send a Hungarian research astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by the middle of the decade, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Porto on Friday. The ministry said Szijjártó had told a ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) that earlier this year, the Hungarian government approved the country’s national space strategy for the next ten years.
 
The selection of a Hungarian astronaut has started, with an application deadline set at the end of January.
 
The mission will be part of a comprehensive scientific programme, he said. The astronaut’s tasks will include carrying out tests in dosimetry, materials science, space biology and pharmeceuticals. Additionally, the astronaut will be tasked with the installation of a device currently being developed in joint Hungarian-Russian cooperation for improved weather forecasts in space.
 
 
 
Preparations have also started for the launch of a Hungarian telecommunications satellite to orbit around the Earth and for the development of its land segment. Starting in 2024, Hungary will have the rights to operate a geostationary track for twenty years and it will therefore have its own telecommunications satellite, the statement added.

Szijjártó also said that the government had set up a fund to support companies operating in the sector. Additionally,
 
seventeen universities have cooperated in launching an educational programme on space science.
 
He also said that Hungary had recently signed a strategic agreement for space research cooperation with French-Italian joint venture Thales Alenia Space which will enable Hungarian companies to participate in the operation of one of the world’s largest satellite fleet.
Hungary Semmelweis university
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Hungary has the third-highest rate of anti-Semitic prejudice in the EU

Jerusalem

According to a recent international survey, anti-Semitism is the third most widespread prejudice in 16 European countries. Based on the data, anti-Semitism is greater among individuals who endorse right-wing ideology, but approximately a third of opposition voters have a prejudice against Jewish people, too.

While being openly anti-Semitic is still taboo, left-wing anti-Semitism has become more prominent than “traditional” right-wing anti-Semitism in Western countries, such as the United Kingdom. Anti-Israel sentiment and behaviour are also widespread in other parts of Western Europe, but anti-Semitism is more characteristic of the former socialist countries, writes Telex.

According to a recently published international study on prejudice, Greece has the strongest manifestations of anti-Semitism. Violence against Jewish people is clearly most common in Western European countries with large Islamic groups.

“The current research has shown that the number of serious acts of violence and the degree of anti-Semitic prejudice are basically unrelated,” explains András Kovács, Professor at the Nationalism Studies and Jewish Studies Program at the Central European University.

“In a number of countries with high levels of anti-Semitic prejudice, like Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, only a negligible number of acts of violence have been registered. In contrast, many anti-Semitic crimes − attack, harassment, and vandalism − occur in countries with low rates of anti-Semitic prejudice, such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.”

Although the definitions and categorisations of anti-Semitic behaviour can vary by country, most surveys in recent years (such as the annual research of Medián) agree that

about 30 to 40% of the Hungarian society agree more or less with certain anti-Semitic statements, such as that Jewish people try to benefit even from their persecution during the war.

Hungary committed to fighting anti-Semitism

This 97-year-old Hungarian Holocaust survivor is the oldest star of TikTok! – VIDEOS

In the latest study, András Kovács and György Fischer called this latent anti-Semitism. They also found that

24% of Hungarian society are strongly anti-Semitic, 18% are moderately anti-Semitic, and Hungary has the third-highest rate of anti-Semitic prejudice in the EU.

For example, according to the survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jewish people conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, among the EU Member States,  the highest levels of comfort with having a Jewish person as a neighbour were found in Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and the Netherlands in 2018. In contrast,

the lowest mean level of comfort with having a Jewish person as a neighbour were indicated in Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, and Poland.

The data of the study done by Kovács and Fischer confirmed that anti-Semitic prejudice is slightly higher among men than among women, and anti-Semitism is more prevalent among the elderly, the less educated, and those living in larger rural cities.

Budapest is the most popular travel destination in the world!

tourism-hungary-budapest-spring hungarian government

Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the world thanks to its perfect location on the two bends of the Danube, its rich history, the cultural programs it offers for everybody, and a great variety of cosy restaurants and bars. But even experts were surprised that, this fall, Budapest became the most popular travel destination preceding even London and Vienna.

Budapest precedes even London and Paris

According to blikk.hu, London has been on the top of favourite travel destination lists for years. However, this autumn and winter, Budapest preceded it, which the Hungarian tabloid regards a considerable success.

Moreover, currently,

the Hungarian capital towers over its British and Austrian counterparts.

Based on the data, most people plan to come to Budapest from Russia and the United Kingdom. They spend here 1-3 days, mostly a long weekend.

Index.hu says that, among the most popular travel destinations, there is always London, Paris and Berlin in the top 3. Interestingly, currently, Paris is only eighth, while Berlin is only in the 11th position.

 

Young Russians and English come

Kiwi.com measured booking data and published its results yesterday. According to their announcement, between 1 November 2021 and 28 February 2022, Budapest is to be the most popular travel destination. Currently, the top 10 list is the following:

  1. Budapest
  2. London
  3. Vienna
  4. Milan
  5. Istambul
  6. Rome
  7. Kiev
  8. Paris
  9. Lisboa
  10. Barcelona

And who will we meet while wandering on the streets of Budapest? The leaders will be probably the Russians, the British, Ukrainian and Israeli tourists. Furthermore, mass numbers of visitors are expected to come from Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

 

Those coming to Budapest will probably spend here a long weekend, and the majority will arrive on Fridays.

Meanwhile, 25 pc are one-week-long accommodations. 2/3rd of the visitors are below 40, while only 4 pc are above 60. 46pc will come alone, 40 pc will visit Budapest with their partners, while 14 pc will come with three or more friends.

Castle of Vajdahunyad Vár
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Everything you wanted to know about the sex life of Hungarian women (18+)

sex pexels couple

According to a representative survey, more than half of Hungarian women between 18 and 49 have had four sex partners in their life. The online research titled ‘Sex Test of Hungary’ found out what the most popular positions in the country are.

One out of ten Hungarian women has only had one sex partner

According to life.hu, the majority of Hungarian women have had fewer than ten sex partners in their lives. Interestingly, the Sex Test of Hungary found that there is no significant correlation between the number of sex partners and whether a woman is in a relationship or not. 69 pc of 18-49-year-old single women, 66 pc of those with a casual relationship, 80 pc of women in a relationship, and 72 pc of married women have had fewer than ten partners.

Almost half of those taking part in the research had fewer than four sex partners.

26 pc of the women who filled out the questionnaire said that they had 5-9 sex partners. Furthermore, 15 pc answered that they had 10-15, and only eight pc admitted they had more than 20.

One out of ten Hungarian women has only had one sex partner in their lifetime. In the case of women in their twenties, this rate is 15 pc, while among those in their thirties, it decreases to 5 pc. Interestingly, this rate increases to 11 pc among those in their forties.

Moreover, the survey found how high the rate of those living without sexual relationships is. Seven pc of the 18-29 age group said that they have not had a sex partner.

The rate of virgins is below one pc among older women.

Erika Rozs, a Hungarian sexual psychologist, said that women tend to forget hookups and such experiences when only petting happened. She added that having 1-4 sex partners is not bad because women have to acquire experience, helping them create longer-lasting relationships. However, above 12 partners, women tend to bear sexual monogamy difficult.

Which one is the most popular position?

According to the survey, the most-loved positions of Hungarian women are missionary (29 pc), riding position (28 pc), and doggy style (27 pc). Interestingly, only two pc liked 69.

Women living in villages like the missionary (47 pc) position the most.

Meanwhile, in cities, the riding position is the winner (33 pc). In Budapest, the popularity of the three “classic” poses is equal, and even spooning got 15 pc.

The popularity of the missionary position rises with the seriousness of the relationship. For example, 33 pc of married women choose this pose. The riding position is the most popular among married women, but only 14 pc of single women choose it.

 

Erika Rozs said that the riding position is the best if a woman would like an orgasm. Its increasing popularity is probably in connection with the sexual maturation of women since more would like to reach satisfaction.

Interestingly, the popularity of the spooning position reaches 20 pc near the Western borders of Hungary, which is unique.

lgbtq
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Third of musicians in Hungary considering leaving profession

Concert-musician-rock
A third of musicians in Hungary are considering leaving the profession as they grapple with the fallout of the pandemic and struggle financially, according to a recent survey by the ProArt Association published on Wednesday.
 
Fully 47 percent of respondents lost 90 percent of their income in 2020, the survey of songwriters and performers asked about the dent in their incomes left by the pandemic in 2020 found. More than 700 responses were given, with 80 percent having been active in the industry for at least ten years.
 
Fully 52 percent received no state support or any other subsidy earmarked for musicians.
 
Those who did received only 15 percent of their annual income on average. For 21 percent, tax relief for small entrepreneurs and subsidized loans provided some help. Half of respondents already could rely on several sources of income beyond their own profession before the pandemic and this went some way towards alleviating their hardships.
 


Regarding online concerts, 23 percent of respondents broadcast concerts online,
 
though many believe that after the epidemic online concerts are likely to fade away because they bring in lower revenue.
 
The vast majority of musicians said online concerts fell short of the real concert experience both for audiences and performers. Fully 59 percent of respondents said their earnings this year would be even worse than in 2020.
Matild Palace
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Survey: opposition chanceless against PM Orbán?

Viktor-Orban-military-plane
If a general election were held this Sunday, Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party would capture 53 percent of the vote and the opposition alliance would garner 45 percent, the Nézőpont Institute said on Wednesday.
 
Nézőpont said the opposition’s primary campaign and the ruling parties’ “Stop Gyurcsány. Stop Karácsony” signature drive “seemed to balance out each other’s effects,” with changes in support remaining within the statistical margin of error. The minuscule changes were in favour of the ruling parties, which Nézőpont said “shows the off-putting effect of [former PM and DK head] Ferenc Gyurcsány”.
 
The united opposition parties have mobilised some 700,000 people,
 
or about a quarter of their base, Nézőpont said. The ruling party’s response, the petition campaign, “performed better, and managed to win over participants more easily,” Nézőpont said. Nézőpont carried out its phone survey of a representative sample of 1,000 adults on Sept. 20-21.
 
 
Meanwhile, the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, has ruled against the appeal of Klubrádió over the use of the 92.9 MHz frequency, saying the commercial channel lost the frequency due to a flawed application, the National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) said on Wednesday. In its ruling on Sept. 28, the Kúria fully rejected Klubrádió’s appeal, saying that NMHH’s procedure had been fully in line with relevant legislation.

It upheld  earlier decision of the media authority and the Municipal Court, saying that besides “flaws warranting disqualification” in the application papers, the station’s economic operation ran afoul of legal requirements and the conditions of the tender. The flaws disclosed in the tender warranted
 
immediate disqualification under Hungarian law,
 
and fell beyond the purview of NMHH, the Kúria said.

“Based on those facts, the media authority had no choice but to disqualify the tender. The Kuria also rejected Klubrádió’s argument that the disqualification harmed the principles of freedom of the press and due process,” NMHH said. Those arguments cannot be the baseline for violating the law or preferential treatment, it said.  “NMHH or the Municipal Court did not strip Klubrádió of the use of the 92.9 MHz frequency; rather, Klubradio did so itself by submitting a flawed, incomplete and inconsistent tender,” the authority said.
gyurcsány dk
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Hungary ranks 32nd in the World in Digital Quality of Life Index 2021

budapest-hungary- budapest eye

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks Hungary 32nd among 110 countries. Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on a set of five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars. Hungary ranks slightly higher in e-security (28th) and internet quality (29th), but shows comparatively mediocre results in internet affordability (37th), e-infrastructure (32nd) and e-government (45th).

Overall, Hungary has demonstrated a notable drop compared to DQL 2020, falling from 25th place to 32nd and staying behind Poland and the Czech Republic. Despite this, the country ranks 8th globally in broadband internet speed (167.815 Mbps) and it’s 3 times faster than in Ukraine (61.921 Mbps). Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic,

Hungary’s broadband speed has improved by 51 %.

 Hungary has room for improvement in specific areas, especially internet affordability, which decreased by 55% compared to last year. This year, Hungarians have to spend almost 2 hours per month to afford the cheapest broadband internet package, 1h and 33 minutes more than in 2020. 

The research shows that compared to Poland, Hungary ranks lower in internet affordability, e-security and e-government, but shows higher results in internet quality and e-infrastructure.

“Digital opportunities have proved to be more important than ever during the COVID-19 crisis, stressing the importance for every country to ensure fully remote operational capacities for their economies,”

– explains Vytautas Kaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark. “That is why, for the third year in a row, we continue the Digital Quality of Life research, which provides a robust global outlook into how countries excel digitally. The index sets the basis for meaningful discussions about how digital advancement impacts a country’s prosperity and where improvements can be made.”

In an all-around picture, 6 out of 10 countries holding the highest scores are located in Europe, following last year’s trend.

Denmark ranks 1st in DQL for the second year in a row and is closely followed by South Korea.

Finland ranks 3rd, while Israel and the U.S. round out the top five of 110 nations that were evaluated. The bottom 5 countries are Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, and Angola.

Regionally, the U.S. stands out as a country with the highest digital quality of life in the Americas, while South Korea takes the leading position in Asia. Among countries in Africa, people in South Africa enjoy the highest quality of their digital lives whereas Australia leads in Oceania, outperforming New Zealand in various digital areas.

Other significant findings of the report include:

  • Broadband is globally less affordable this year. Comparing countries included in both DQL20 and DQL21, people have to work 11% more (25 min more) to afford broadband internet in 2021. However, people have to work 29% less (28 min less) to afford mobile internet this year. 
  • The world’s worst internet is the least affordable. People in some countries, such as Nigeria, Côte D’Ivoire and Mali require approximately a week’s worth of work to afford the internet.
  • Investing in electronic infrastructure and electronic government contributes to people’s digital wellbeing the most. 

The 2021 DQL research examined a total population of more than 6.9 billion people in terms of five core pillars and 14 underpinning indicators that provide a comprehensive measure.

The study is based on open-source information provided by the United Nations, the World Bank, Freedom House, the International Communications Union, and other sources. 

 The final 2021 Digital Quality of Life report and an interactive country comparison tool can be found here.



Snowden
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In which countries is the concept of New Work most important?

business, company, teamwork

Why do expats move abroad? According to the Expat Insider 2021 survey by InterNations, 47% of working expats name their career as the most important reason for relocating to another country. Most of them found a job on their own (17%), were recruited internationally (15%), or were sent by their employer (13%). Just 2% moved abroad to start their own business.

The key focus of this year’s Expat Insider survey, conducted by InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with more than 4 million members, is the future of working abroad. Expats all around the world shared what it is really like to work abroad and described their working conditions. They also provided insights into how new working arrangements (e.g., remote work) are changing their working life and what they would like to see in the future.

The Future of Working Abroad

Expats Working Abroad Are Well Educated

Expats working abroad are on average 43.1 years old, and the gender ratio is a fairly even split between male (53%) and female (46%) expats.

Overall, they are well educated, with four in five working expats either holding a postgraduate degree / master’s degree (47%) or a bachelor’s degree (33%). Another 8% have a PhD, followed by one in twenty with qualifications from commercial / technical / vocational training (5%). Just 5% have only graduated high school, and 1% have no degree at all.

When it comes to their current employment situation, 30% are in a senior / specialist position, followed by lower / middle management (17%) and top managers / executives (13%). More than one in five (11%) are self-employed / a freelancer, 9% are teachers / professors, and 7% each either work in entry-level jobs or have their own business.

Education, IT, and Finance Are the Most Common Fields of Work
The most common fields expats work in are education (12%), IT (11%), and finance (8%). Other frequently mentioned fields of work include manufacturing & engineering (7%), healthcare (6%), and advertising, marketing & communication (5%).

About one-third of working expats (33%) have a gross yearly income ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 USD. Four in nine (44%) make 50,000 USD or less, while 23% make more than 100,000 USD.

Lower Working Hours and a Higher Satisfaction with their Work-Life-Balance

While the vast majority of expats works full time (82%), the share has slightly decreased by four percentage points since 2015 (86%).

The changes in the way they work become even clearer when it comes to expats’ working hours: In 2015, the average number of working hours per week — for full-time and part-time workers combined — was 42 hours; in 2021 it is just 39.9 hours. This seems to have an impact on personal satisfaction: 70% of working expats are happy with their working hours in 2021 (vs. 64% in 2015), and 68% rate their work-life-balance positively (vs. 63% in 2015).

While the satisfaction with working hours and work-life balance has slightly increased since 2015, expats are less happy with their local career opportunities: less than half the working expats (49%) are satisfied with this factor in 2021, compared to 60% in 2015. On the other hand, expats rate their job security better now, with 67% saying they are happy with this factor (vs. 60% in 2015). Overall, 73% are happy with their job in general, which is 5 percentage points more than in 2015 (68%).

In Which Countries Is the Concept of New Work Most Important?

Close to three in five working expats (58%) say that factors like autonomy, freedom, creativity, personal development, and self-fulfillment are important in the business culture of their host country. These values are closely related to the concept of New Work, which describes the new way of working in the global and digital age.

The top 10 countries where expats rate the importance of New Work in the local business culture the highest are the USA, the UAE, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden.

For example, 74% of working expats in the USA say that New Work plays an important role in the local business culture.

When asked to compare the importance of New Work in their home country and their current country of residence, 49% of working expats say that New Work is more important in the business culture of their host country than in their home country.

Working expats from Mexico (74%), the Philippines (65%), Turkey (61%), India (60%), and Italy (59%) see the biggest difference in importance as compared to their home country.

In fact, their home countries do not rank particularly well when it comes to the importance of New Work in the local business culture, as rated by other expats. Mexico is the best out of these five countries, landing on 33rd place out of 55. It is followed by the Philippines (40th), while Italy (49th), India (51st), and Turkey (52nd) even end up among the bottom 10 worldwide.

Hungary took the middle position (29th).

Overall, Japan (55th out of 55), Egypt, South Korea, Turkey, India, Kuwait, Italy, Spain, France, and China (46th) are the ten destinations where expats rate the concept of New Work as relatively unimportant in the business culture. For example, 40% of expats in Japan say that New Work is not important in the local business world, compared to 18% globally.

Remote Work Is on the Rise

One aspect of New Work is already an everyday occurrence for many working expats: close to four in five (78%) are able to work remotely in 2021.

However, while 62% say that they can work remotely, 16% add that they can work remotely but usually prefer not to. Another 16% are unable to work remotely due to the nature of their job, and only 6% cannot work remotely because their employer does not allow it. Overall, 65% enjoy working remotely: more than a quarter (28%) even like it very much, while just 3% do not like it at all.

Close to two in five working expats (39%) work fully remotely, while the second-biggest share (18%) works remotely for more than 15 days per month. This figure is followed by two to five days (14%), one day or less (12%), and six to ten days (10%).

The COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on the remote work policies for expat employees: nearly three in ten (28%) are now able to work remotely more often than before, while another 20% say that remote work has been newly introduced and is here to stay for them. For around one quarter (26%) their employer’s remote work policies have not changed in the long run, while another 26% do not know yet what their employer will decide in the post-pandemic future.

What Working Expats Value Now and What They Envision in the Future

When asked what they like best about their current job, working expats most frequently mention the opportunity to work remotely / from home (32%), a good work-life balance (32%), and flexible working hours (29%).

“What working expats enjoy about the job they have is not necessarily what they envision for their future career. Businesses all around the world will have to offer more within the context of New Work, such as room for creativity. But this is not everything expats ask for,”

says Malte Zeeck, InterNations Founder and Co-CEO. “Despite a growing desire for self-fulfillment and personal development, hard factors such as a good salary remain extremely important for expats in a business context.”

In fact, the top 3 aspects that would be especially important to expats in an ideal work environment are a good compensation and/or good benefits (54%), a good work-life balance (49%), and creative/interesting tasks (29%). At the moment, just 28% are happy with their compensation and/or benefits, and only 21% benefit from having creative/interesting tasks at work.

Expats even seem to be willing to trade off some of the factors they currently enjoy: with just 28% of expats citing flexible working hours and 22% mentioning the opportunity to work remotely / from home as part of their dream job, these factors do not make it into the top 3 aspects for an ideal work environment.

About the Future of Working Abroad Report

This report is based on data from the Expat Insider 2021 survey by InterNations. In total, 12,420 expats participated; the general Expat Insider report and an overall country ranking were published in May 2021. However, the report “The Future of Working Abroad” uses mainly data sets from expats currently doing any kind of paid work: 8,313 survey respondents — living in 175 destinations and representing 166 nationalities — match this definition of working expats.

Not surprising: Hungarians reject migrant quotas!

Hungary illegal migration

Almost all respondents to the government’s National Consultation public survey have indicated their objection to any form of mandatory distribution of illegal migrants across the European Union, the state secretary for international communication and relations said in a video published on Facebook on Friday.

Zoltán Kovács said that out of the over 1.4 million respondents, fully 1,388,227, or 99 percent, said that they approved of the government’s position on rejecting any such plans. “This is a convincing vote against,” he said. Fully 98 percent of the respondents said that illegal migration should be prevented from further aggravating the coronavirus situation, the state secretary said. An equal proportion of respondents said that “Soros organisations” should be prevented from promoting illegal migration, he added.

Altogether

98 percent supported the government’s readiness to enter into debates with Brussels and “protect the Hungarian people’s position”

on other subjects, Kovács said.

 
Justice Minister Judit Varga on Friday welcomed an announcement of Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, that he would initiate a referendum on migration later this month. In a bilingual Facebook post, Varga said “just like Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in his speech [at the 16th Strategic Forum] in Bled a week ago,
 
Barnier also declared that Member States should now get back their legal sovereignty on migration issues so that their sovereign decisions cannot be overtaken by the Court of Justice of the European Union or the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.”
 
“More and more people dare to express their disagreement on EU institutions interfering in the sovereign decisions of Member States,” Varga said. Hungary has maintained from the “very beginning” that “the resettlement of migrants leads to the cultural self-surrender of Europe”, built a border fence to protect the country and asked Hungarian citizens on their opinion in a domestic referendum, she said.

Referring to the EU, Varga said “later, they launched an attack against us in both cases. Today, on the other hand, more and more people think that Hungary has made the right decision. In fact, they would all do the same now. We are keen to see future developments,” she added.
 

Are Hungarian wage increase statistics distorted?

Hungarian salary coronavirus

The Central Statistical Office (Központi Statisztikai Hivatal — KSH) has published its latest monthly wage statistics. Based on these salaries in Hungary have risen enormously in the recent period. However, people rarely feel that. In general, an individual’s experience does not override national statistics. A representative survey might show the truth.

According to the KSH survey, the average gross earnings in the first half of the year were HUF 428,200 (€ 1231). This is an increase of 8.4 per cent compared to 2020. The statistics include enterprises with at least five employees, budgetary institutions, and major non-profit organisations. This is interesting, as companies with less than five employees were not included. These micro-enterprises typically pay lower wages, so omitting them from the statistics pulls the average upwards. Another significant problem is that

the KSH does not publish median wage data on a monthly basis.

The median is better in showing people’s standard of living. The median wage is the limit at which the same number earn more than less. In the case of the average salary, extremely high wages can distort the result obtained. To eliminate these errors, Pulzus Kutató commissioned its own representative research on behalf of napi.hu.

Exactly half of the people have more salary.

Mainly because of a pay rise, a job change or a second job. Twelve per cent of people have their pay increased by 5 to 10 per cent, while 7 per cent said the difference between this year’s and last year’s pay is more than 10 per cent.

The gender pay gap remains significant.

42 per cent of women said there was no change in pay, compared to only 34 per cent of men. Both in the case of 5 to 10 per cent and more than 10 per cent wage increases, men are in the majority. In terms of education, graduates did better, as on average their wages rose more. Interestingly, wages in the 18-39 age group increased the most. Further wage increases are expected among those working in higher education, writes vg.hu. According to the government’s plans, wages will increase by 15-15 per cent in two steps.

Here is how many times young Hungarian women have sex a month!

couple home sexy

A representative online survey shows that the range is wide: from once or twice a week up to 10 or 12 times. Not surprisingly, married couples do it fewer times, while those in their 30s enjoy sex most regularly.

According to blikk.hu, Joy Magazine published the results of the first round of a representative online survey on the occasion of the Day of Sexual Health (September 4).

Interestingly, 20 pc of Hungarian women between 18 and 49 do not have sex at all. 60 pc of them have sex at least once a month. Among this group, there are 16-16 pc who have sex either 1-2 times or 10-12 times a month.

Seven pc have sex each day.

Meanwhile, the rate is the same in the case of those who are active only once or twice a year.

Sexual psychologist Erika Rozs said that those women are the happiest on average who have sex 1-3 times a week. That includes masturbation, too. More sex does not increase individual happiness while having sex fewer times results in mental and health problems only in the long run. Of course, personal needs, age, and social environment are the most defining factors in this issue, she added.

The older a person is, the fewer times they have sex.

Young women in their 20s do it 10-12 times a month. However, that number decreases to 5-6 in their 30s and to 1-2 in their 40s. The rate of those who do not have sex at all is 16 pc in the first, 20 pc in the second, and 24 pc in the third age group.

However, quality sex is more frequent in the older age groups. Thus, fewer occasions might give a higher level of satisfaction for women, according to the sexual psychologist.

Married couples have sex fewer times than non-married couples. In the case of the latter group, 10-12 times per month is the average, while that decreases to 1-4 in the former group.

Interestingly, 31 pc of women answered that they have already spent more than a year without having sex. 18 pc went without it for weeks or months, and only 11 pc said they had no shorter period without sex than days.

The last time a similar survey was done in Hungary was in 2017 when 15,700 people filled it out, hvg.hu reported.

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United opposition chanceless to defeat PM Orbán in 2022?

Hungary PM Orbán economy

The majority, 54 percent of Hungarian adults wants Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to remain in his post, while 34 percent supports Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, who is in the run to become the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate, a survey conducted by the Századvég Foundation showed.

The survey was conducted at the end of August over the phone, on a 1,000-strong representative sample, after analysts saw Karácsony as the likely winner of the opposition’s pre-election, Századvég said.

The pollster asked respondents to pick the candidate they thought performed better in solving key issues in Hungary. Fully 69 percent of respondents saw Orbán as a decisive and strong leader, while 19 percent said the same of Karácsony. Karácsony also trailed Orbán in his perceived performance in supporting families (30 and 61 percent, respectively), in child protection (24 percent to 57 percent), and improving the lot of pensioners (31 to 57 percent).

Similarly, 57 percent of respondents said they saw Orbán as more competent in improving the country’s economy in the wake of the pandemic, while 32 credited Karácsony with more abilities in the field. Fully 52 percent thought

Orbán is better equipped to organise a health-care response to potential future epidemics,

while 20 percent thought Karácsony was better suited to the task, it said.

Karácsony is likely to raise taxes and introduce austerity measures according to 55 and 52 percent of respondents respectively, while 24 percent presume Orbán would raise taxes and 29 percent that he would tighten the belt, Századvég said.

Regarding foreign policy, 59 percent thought Orbán was better at protecting Hungarians’ interests abroad, while 30 percent supported Karácsony, Századvég said.

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Budapest’s weather is one of the most unpredictable in Europe!

Hungary restriction Budapest

Based on a number of different criteria, Uswitch.com has ranked Budapest #9 in terms of unpredictability out of all the capitals of the continent in a four-way tie with Luxembourg, Belgrade, and Skopje.

Most people are no stranger to weather which takes an unfortunate turn when it really should not. Apparently, you are more likely to experience that in Budapest than many other capital cities in Europe. While perhaps the ninth spot is not terribly high, that is likely for the better, hvg.hu reported.

Uswitch used a number of different statistics to come up with an aggregate score for each of the capital cities on their list of 35 different capitals where they had enough data to go by. They accounted for cloud cover, frost, precipitation (as well as the frequency of wet days), along with the daily mean temperature and the duration of sunshine, and then they rated the cities on a scale of 0-100, uswitch.com says.

Budapest, Hungary, along with the three other aforementioned cities, received 55 points and took the ninth place for the most unpredictable frosty days.

The “winner” of the list is Tallinn, Estonia, scoring 69 points on the scale. This is only one point ahead of Riga, Latvia, which itself only beats Finland’s Helsinki by one. In case you are wondering, the last spot is taken up by Valletta, Malta: it got as low as only 10 points.

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Survey: Sense of job security improves in Hungary

hungary job security

Fully 62 percent of Hungarian employees are confident of 5-plus years of job security, according to a recent survey. A year ago, 55 percent were similarly assured.

The relevant index rose to 80 points from 74 points a year earlier, while the measure of finding a new job went up to 60 points from 58 points, BNP Paribas Cardif and polling company Medián said on Thursday.

The labour market stability index fell by 2 points from the previous quarter to 68 points, according to the survey carried out in June.

Meanwhile, employees were less keen to keep their jobs, with this measure dropping 2 points to 56 points.

The share of employees willing to work more for the same pay fell to 46 percent from 56 percent.

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Survey: third of Hungarians think homosexual content changes sexual orientation

lgbtq

A survey carried out by Publicus Institute says that the third of Hungarians finds it possible that someone becomes homosexual after seeing LGBTQ content.

Hungary’s new “paedophile law”, aka “homosexual law”, is still an issue that resurfaces every couple of days in the media. After the passing of the bill caused outrage both in the country and on an international level, the Hungarian government decided to organise a referendum with which citizens can also express their opinion and concerns. Nevertheless, the law entered into effect, which now means that any content depicting homosexuality is banned from schools and kindergartens to protect children under the age of 18.

As DNH recently reported, the law completely divided Hungarian society. Now, a new survey carried out by the Publicus Institute by the commission of Népszava states the same.

The public survey measuring the voters’ opinion at the end of July shows that

42% of Hungarians think that LBGTQ communities lead their propaganda of sexual orientation different from the majority.

This propaganda presented in schools and kindergartens poses a real risk to children.

Almost the third of the people participating think that someone can become homosexual after being exposed to this kind of content.

Apart from the Hungarians’ perception of homosexuality, the survey also investigated how the people see Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s initiative for a referendum concerning the issue.

The survey also shows that a higher percentage of oppositional voices was aware of this referendum (90%), as opposed to 75% of pro-government voters.

55% of voters think that the referendum is genuinely about the protection of children, while

the majority (87%) of the opposition sees it otherwise, as a simple political action, part of the government’s campaign before the elections next year.

Telex.hu writes that 78% of pro-government voters but only 27% of the opposition would participate in the referendum.

After it became clear that the government would not get rid of or would not modify the new law, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony came up with his own initiative for a referendum investigating “how to protect Hungary’s future from the Orbán government’s amok”. He prepared five questions, including the new campus of the Chinese Fudan University planned to be built in Budapest, or the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and whether Hungary should join.

The question of the university is quite interesting.

Over half of those participating in the survey (58%) are rather against establishing the Chinese campus in the Hungarian capital. Even the third of Fidesz supporters are on the same page.

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Survey: Mayor, opposition coalition unpopular with majority of voters

mayor karácsony

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, who is vying to become the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition alliance, is unpopular with 57 percent of decided voters, while 54 percent view the opposition coalition unfavourably, a survey published by the Századvég Institute on Tuesday showed.

Only 37 percent of respondents said they found the mayor sympathetic, while 39 percent supported the opposition, Századvég said.

In terms of Karácsony’s popularity index (the difference between positive and negative responses), he is less popular (minus 20 percent) than the opposition alliance (minus 15 percent), the survey found.

His low approval rating may be due to the fact that Karácsony had already lost a general election in 2018, Századvág said.

Voters may also feel that his performance as mayor has failed to live up to expectations, as he failed to fulfil campaign promises such as cost-free public transport for children under 14 and heating subsidies for the elderly and vulnerable, Szazadveg said.

Among undecided voters, Karácsony is unpopular with 51 percent and popular with 17 percent (a popularity rating of minus 34 percent), Századvég said.

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