survey

“Homophobic law” completely divided Hungarian society?

Budapest Pride Hungary

The new Hungarian paedophile law, also labelled as the “homophobic law” due to the modifications added to the original bill, completely divided Hungarians.

Lately, many internal issues and conflicts of Hungary have received international attention and reaction. The “homophobic law” is one of them.

Everything to know about the Hungarian “homophobic law”

Since the question of LGBTQ people’s rights causes problems on an international level, it was natural that the passing of the bill would get some sort of reaction from other countries. Several governments and the European Union itself stood up to discrimination, creating a common standpoint and opinion.

The harsh answer of America to the Hungarian “homophobic law”

In Hungary, however, the reaction of people is not that one-sided, writes index.hu.


“The law completely divides Hungarian society,”

shows the research of Median, the most important independent public survey company in the country. The results were published by hvg360.

The proportion of those accepting or refusing the details of the law is almost equal, 47% against 42%.

Whether someone is for or against the details infringing upon the rights of homosexuals greatly depends on the age and educational background of the person. Those who have finished secondary school and most of those with a university degree tend to refuse the law as such.

Under the age of 30, the proportion of those against it is higher than in any other age group.

The point of view of those supporting the government and those belonging to the opposition perfectly reflect the side they are on. Two-thirds of the former support the law, while two-thirds of the people not agreeing with the current government do not agree with the “homophobic” modifications of the law either.

Participants of the survey were also asked about their opinion on the EU membership and how they would vote in the case of a referendum deciding whether to stay or leave the community. In this case, the answer was more unilateral. Two-thirds would absolutely participate in the referendum, and 80% of them would vote to remain part of the European Union.

When it comes to

Hungarian membership in the EU in general, 83% of people asked are in favour, while 11% are against it.


79% of the government’s supporters see membership as a positive thing, as opposed to 17% who would rather be independent.

On the side of the opposition, the viewpoint is much more unilateral. 90% is in favour as opposed to 7% who would rather leave.

The EU membership overall causes much less division than the contents of the new law, and its perception is quite independent of people’s political views.

Four-fifths of Fidesz voters also stand for EU membership.

demonstration hungary
Read alsoHuge demonstration against Hungarian homophobic law – Photos

Are Hungarians really this discriminative towards their neighbours of ethnicity?

budapest_chain_bridge_hungarian_flag

The survey shows who the Hungarians do not want to have as a neighbour.

Despite living in the most enlightened times, racism and antisemitism are still present. Especially when global issues, such as climate change or the coronavirus pandemic, force certain nationalities to leave their homes and find it elsewhere. However, it is not only natural catastrophes that bring these tensions to the surface. Some have been living among us for a very long time but are still not accepted by their neighbours.

Incredibly huge Hitler portrait hung out of the window of a Hungarian house

Medián is Hungary’s leading survey company researching the market and public opinion. They have been searching and measuring the point of view of Hungarians in how rejective they are against different ethnicities and religions. This year’s results show that the majority of those filling out the forms

would reject to live next door to migrants, Roma people, and Arabs, but homosexuals are not far behind either.

Endre Hann, managing director of Medián, told channel ATV that in 2015, when the issue of migrants became a public talk, this group of people immediately came to lead the list, even though many Hungarians had had little to no connection or personal experience with them.

He also mentioned that

Roma and black people are one of the most rejected groups,

which shows that there is still a sort of “traditional dislike” towards people with a darker skin tone. The opinion of Hungarians is fluctuant in the long run; however, during the past two years, the negative feelings towards these ethnicities have somewhat decreased, only to be directed towards homosexuals.

An astonishing two-thirds of the population is against the idea of a Roma moving next door,

while Jewish people are a bit more accepted.

Antisemitism, which is the prejudice and hostility to Jews, has two sides in the country. There is the traditional attitude based on religious views and the fact that many Hungarians (about a quarter of the population) still think that they possess too much power and influence over the country. The strongest and most brutal form of antisemitism is the denial of the Holocaust, which is true to every tenth person of the Hungarian population, added Hann.

If these opinions and sentiments are considered in a complex image, it shows that

36% of the Hungarian population can be regarded as anti-Semitic, either strongly or moderately.

On the other hand, very few of these people act on it.

Hann also added that based on their surveys and research conducted every year, these anti-Semitic feelings increased around 2010. It might have a connection to the joining of the political party Jobbik (far-right) to the Parliament.

demo against homophobic law
Read alsoSurvey: 80% of Hungarians do not want a homosexual PM

Survey: 80% of Hungarians do not want a homosexual PM

demo against homophobic law

Závecz Research conducted a survey that shows that only 20% of Hungarians would accept a homosexual prime minister.

The results show some interesting data. 20% of people would accept a homosexual prime minister, 72% are against it, and 8% refused to answer. Among Fidesz voters, 14% would accept a homosexual prime minister, 78% would be against it, and 5% did not answer the question. Among the voters of the opposition, 28% said that a homosexual prime minister would be accepted, 66% answered with no, and 6% did not answer, reported RTL, an independent TV channel that initiated the survey.

Telex asked Fidesz members about this controversial topic, and the answers were very different from one another. Zsolt Semjén told Telex the following:

“As a parent, I think it would be outrageous if any transvestites or people with whatever kinds of preferences just went up to my kid and started explaining sexual content that I do not want my child to hear. Children in schools and kindergartens must be protected from sexual impulses they are unprepared for and which their parents disagree with.”

A former member of Fidesz recently told Partizán that there are many secretly homosexual members in Fidesz. Regarding this, Telex asked a few right-wing politicians if they would accept an openly homosexual member in the political party.

Judit Varga said that

“it could happen any time. This is the 21st century and a free country. Even the PM said that for us, individual liberties are a treasure.”

The same question was addressed to Zsolt Semjén who said that he would not be enthusiastic about it, but he does not think this is a reason for exclusion. He also said that homosexuality is a sin.

RTL addressed questions to Zsófia Rácz, Deputy State Secretary for Youth, who said that she does not know about any school or kindergarten where homosexuality is intentionally promoted, but this does not mean there are none. She added that there are many psychologists and teachers at schools that a  young homosexual person can talk to.

Almost half of Hungarians get fringe benefits, survey shows

Daily News Hungary economy

About 46 percent of employed Hungarians regularly get non-wage compensation, according to an online survey conducted by voucher company Magyar Utalvány.

The survey showed 10 percent got no fringe benefits this year because of the pandemic and the recession.

Two-thirds of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the scale of their non-wage compensation. More than half agreed that fringe benefits increase workplace loyalty and boost motivation to work.

More than 1,200 people participated in the survey, half men and half women.

Around 44 percent worked in the public sector and 39 percent in the private sector, while 17 percent worked for non-profits.

Magyar Utalvány issues the National Voucher, which employers may award to staff and their immediate family, with tax preferences, once a year to a value up to 10 percent of the minimum wage.

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Read alsoLabour shortage to defeat Hungarian tourism sector? Managers have to clean the hotels

You would never believe how huge the gender pay gap is in Hungarian Tesco!

tesco

In 2017, Tesco made a report regarding diversity and gender pay gap within the corporation. This report has been mandatory in the United Kingdom since 2019. Recently, the British multinational  corporation has decided to follow the original idea in three other countries, including Hungary, besides the neighbouring Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Although Spar has recently announced that there is no difference between the salaries of its male and female workers and that it supports equal pay, Tesco’s report is one of a kind, being the first in Hungary that dedicates a segment to the gender pay gap phenomenon, forbes.hu reported.

The average gender pay gap in the European Union is 14.1%, and it is 18.2% in Hungary. At Tesco, the gap is an astounding 15%.

This gap, however, is the consequence of different jobs of male and female employees. For instance, there are certain departments, such as IT and finances, where the employees are predominantly male. Also, men are more likely to work overtime or take up night shifts. The report has furthermore shed light on some other interesting data.

There are five generations working at Tesco, aged 18-77, and middle-aged employees are overrepresented. 57% of employees have been working at Tesco for more than a decade, representing 21 different nationalities among the staff. 51% of employees take care either of their children or their parents, 18% have health issues, and 67% of all employees are women.

“In 2021, women in the EU are making 14.1% less money than men,” reports hvg.hu.

The portal also found out that the European Commission made a proposal to combat the gender pay gap issue. It states that employers have to inform job applicants about the wages in the job advertisement or during the job interview. Moreover, employers who have over 250 employees will have to give information about the gender pay gap in the future. Furthermore, employees who are discriminated in terms of wages will be able to get compensation. If new rules are accepted by the EU, member states will have to implement them within 2 years.

Hvg also writes that


“the European Commission estimates that improving gender equality by 2050 could increase EU GDP by €2-3 billion. According to the World Economic Forum, equal pay for men and women will be achieved everywhere in the world in 257 years.”

Majority of Hungarians accepts diversity despite the “homophobic” law?

Hungary Budapest Z generation

Despite the “homophobic law” accepted by the Hungarian Parliament, most Hungarians and those living in the country stand by diversity.

The so-called “homophobic law” accepted in Hungary on June 15 has been the talk of the town of the past month. But not only in Hungary itself. The news spread fast, and many countries and politicians reacted to it rather quickly.

Harsh answer of America to the Hungarian homophobic law

The implementation of the law will probably cause further headaches to the Hungarian Parliament, as the European Union’s and its member states’ reaction is rather strong.

EP has found a way to sanction Hungary for the “homophobic law”?

Hungary and the Hungarian people, however, are not equal to the Government. They are entitled to their own opinion and their point of view, and it seems like they do stick to it.

In June, Závech Research conducted a survey for RTL Magyarország about the same issue. They asked 1000 people personally over the age of 18 based on their age, sex, and educational background. The research showed a result that may surprise some.
Hvg.hu writes that according to data,

almost 56% of people asked is tolerant towards homosexuals.

It is not just civilians who do not agree with the Government’s decision. Despite the law, the number of those companies that support diversity, LGBTQ+ people, those with a reduced capacity to work, and the equality of men and women at work actually increased. There are now 10% more of these companies in Hungary.
Melinda Miklós, manager of public initiative Nyitottak Vagyunk – WeAreOpen, told 444.hu that during the past two years,

around 100 companies joined their community, thus augmenting the size of the advocates by 10%.

Moreover, all of them reached out voluntarily to the initiative to be accepted by the community.
The initiative stands behind those minorities whose rights are frequently violated. Originally it was created by Prezi, espell, and Google, but today they work as a significant non-profit organization taking part in important research with the help of volunteers.
Among their members, we can find many smaller and bigger businesses and even global companies that are present on several corners of the globe. They believe in the importance of diversity at the workplace and not to discriminate against anyone based on his sexual orientation, ethnicity, or political views.

Since the law was accepted, no one left the community, but they had new members.

International companies also find it important to make sure that their foreign employees arriving in Hungary will suffer no disadvantage.

Meanwhile, the first controversial moment on television related to the “homophobic law” happened last weekend. The locally famous TV show Barátok Közt (among friends) that ran through 23 years came to an end. The final episode contained a scene of a couple of seconds between two girlfriends kissing each other. The episode was aired in the afternoon a little after 5 pm and was only ranked as material not suitable for children under 12. According to the law that entered into effect on June 15, this scene should have had the little red circle with the number 18 in it, since it depicted a homosexual act. The law says that such images can not be shown to children under the age of 18. However, the Government and Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás so far did not give an obvious description of what actually falls under this category, writes hvg.hu.

children playing
Read alsoForeign minister: Child protection law doesn’t conflate pedophilia and homosexuality

Tension between rich and poor is seen as the driver of division in Hungary

Orbán Viktor Government ingo

The gap between the rich and the poor divides societies around the world the most, with at least 74% of respondents perceiving this contrast as the most dividing factor, according to a recent survey.

A total of 23,000 people in 28 countries completed Ipsos’ online questionnaire, which sought to assess the types of divisions people experience in everyday life around the world.

The rich-poor tension is felt to be strongest in South Korea and Chile (91% of respondents), followed by Hungary with 86%.

Regarding this aspect, Hungary tops the European list.

ipsos survey tensions
Photo: Ipsos

Unsurprisingly, Hungarians feel even more tension among supporters of different parties. 88% perceive it as a very serious problem in Hungary, ranking the country third after South Korea and the United States.

444 writes that the tension between the metropolitan elite and the ordinary working people is considered strong by 76% of Hungarian respondents. Here, too, only Chile, Russia, and South Korea are ahead of us.

The same proportion mentioned the tension between different social classes, barely lagging behind Brazil. Fewer, but still quite a few experience tensions between representatives of liberal, progressive ideas and traditional values in Hungary (70%).

More than 60% feel the tension between immigrants and those born in Hungary.

It seems that Hungarians do not perceive other types of divisions as severe. For instance,  respondents put religious and male-female opposition in the last two places.

People were also asked whether they see “culture wars” in society based on media reports and everyday conversations. In Hungary, 33% answered yes, while in South Africa, the United States, and India, almost 60% did so. On the other end of the spectrum, in Japan, it was only 9%.

Finally, political correctness was also discussed. In this case, respondents placed themselves on a scale of 7, where 0 means “many are offended too easily” and 7 means “people should communicate more sensitively”.

It may come as a surprise, but in Hungary, 58% of respondents placed themselves in the middle or second half of the scale, believing that  we need to change the way people talk. Find out more HERE.

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Voters favour Orbán as PM candidate, says pro-government institute

Daily News Hungary

Fully 50 percent of Hungarian adults favoured Viktor Orbán as a prime ministerial candidate at the end of June, while 18 percent said they would vote for Gergely Karácsony, the [opposition] mayor of Budapest, according to a survey by the Nézopont Institute published in national daily Magyar Nemzet on Monday.

The survey Nézőpont conducted on a weekly basis shows that Karácsony’s support stood at 16 percent after his campaign was launched in mid-May. His support rose to 21 percent at the beginning of June, only to drop to 18 percent by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Orbán’s support among Hungarian adults continued to hover around 50 percent, with no discernible change due to the mayor’s announcement to run for prime minister, the pollster said.

Among voters critical of the government, Karácsony is supported by 42 percent, while 41 percent said they would not vote for either of the two candidates, Nézőpont said.

orbán is shadow
Read alsoHungary faces a vicious circle of corruption?

Are Budapest residents happpy with the mayor’s traffic policies?

cycling lane budapest

More than three-quarters of Budapest’s residents are concerned about the increasingly heavy traffic congestions in the city and the resulting air pollution, according to a fresh survey by the Századvég Foundation, which found that “Budapest disapproved” of Mayor Gergely Karácsony’s traffic policies.

Altogether 82 percent of the survey’s respondents expressed concern over traffic jams resulting from traffic lanes being blocked off for cyclists, Századvég said. Fully 80 percent said they were concerned about the increased air pollution that came with the congestions.

At the same time 61 percent of respondents had nothing negative to say about the increased road space for cyclists, Századvég added.

A total of 56 percent of the survey’s respondents disagree with the municipal council’s expansion of bicycle lanes at the expense of roads for cars. In addition, 61 percent said they disagreed with the Budapest leadership’s decision to pave a flower bed at the bridgehead on the Buda side of the Chain Bridge and put a bicycle path on it.

“It is clear that the mayor’s efforts to promote cycling are not in line with the needs of Budapest residents on roads with heavy traffic,” Századvég said in its analysis.

“The interests of local residents lie in well-thought-out improvements to traffic for both motorists and cyclists, rather than having the various groups of road users be pitted against each other.”

Read alsoNew cycle sections to be built in Budapest!

Hungary faces a vicious circle of corruption?

orbán is shadow

Many fear the consequences of reporting a corruption case, according to the Transparency International (TI) Global Corruption Barometer. However, still, 69 per cent of Hungarians consider government corruption to be a severe problem, and more than half are dissatisfied with the Hungarian government’s response to the phenomenon.

The survey inquired about the views and experiences of more than 40,000 people in the 27 EU Member States about corruption. The Kantar polling company conducted the study; 901 people were interviewed in Hungary. They worked with a representative sample. The time of the survey was October-November 2020, and the European Union supported the survey.

According to 69 per cent of Hungarian respondents, state corruption is a big or very big problem in Hungary; the EU average is around 62 per cent. In the southern and eastern Member States, the proportion of those who consider public corruption to be a major concern is higher.

Forty per cent of Hungarian respondents perceived an increase in corruption in the recent period, while 30 per cent said it remained the same. More than half of the population believes that the government is not addressing the problem in its proper place, according to Péter Martin József, Managing Director of Transparency International Hungary.

According to 45 per cent of Hungarian respondents, the government acted transparently in measures related to the coronavirus epidemic. Thirty-nine per cent said the government was not transparent in this area. According to József Martin, this clearly shows the division of society. He believes that the non-transparent and non-normative management of tourism subsidies, in particular, was highly suspicious of corruption during this period.

A significant trend is that the police are considered less and less corrupt by Hungarians (only 13 per cent found it a significant problem). The trend has been declining for years, and in comparison, MPs and business leaders are still perceived as corrupt by many.

Interestingly, 18 per cent of respondents said they had paid gratitude money, although there could probably be more people than that, and the latency in this area could be high. But this 18 per cent is also a remarkably high figure compared to the EU.

Overall, 17 per cent of respondents said they had offered a bribe, gift, or favour in exchange for a service before. This is well above the EU average (7 per cent).

Regarding the fight against corruption, Transparency basically drew the following conclusions from the survey results:

  • Half of Hungarians do not trust the government.
  • Nearly half of Hungarians are afraid of the possible negative consequences of reporting corruption.
  • More than half of the population feels that the interests of a narrow circle have captured the state.

48% of the respondents think that they should be afraid if they report a case of corruption. This was lower a few years ago. By “capturing” the state, TI means that, according to a significant number of respondents, the

Hungarian government is not primarily driven by the public good, but by the private interests of certain people.

According to the organisation, the results of the survey lead to the conclusion that

A vicious circle of mistrust and corruption has developed in Hungary.

József Martin talked about the fact that it is clear from previous research that many people turn a blind eye to corrupt people on their “own side” while they are much more critical of those who oppose them.

It is also clear from previous surveys that two-thirds of people in Hungary tolerate corruption, i.e. there is a great deal of apathy (indifference, disinterest) towards the topic. With this two-thirds ratio, we have the highest corruption tolerance index in the EU. According to Transparency, public institutions should be more inclusive; they should serve the public good, not private interests.

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Read alsoBREAKING! Hungary to reopen Schengen borders from June 24

Hungarian govt: economy to bounce back after COVID crisis; comment on paedophile law

Máté Kocsis Fidesz

Fidesz’s parliamentary group sees the economy enjoying an unprecedented growth spurt, with 5.5 percent targeted, resulting in measures aimed to help ordinary Hungarians, the ruling party’s group leader said in a radio interview on Sunday.

Summing up Fidesz’s recent group meeting in Debrecen, Máté Kocsis said the relaunch of social life and the economy was a focal point of discussions.

The 1-1.5-month headstart given thanks the Hungary’s successful vaccination drive will add 1 percentage point to GDP this year, “giving us hope that we’ll be able to introduce a number of economic measures that are out of the ordinary”, he said.

With growth of 5.1 percent by the start of 2022, pre-crisis GDP levels would be reached, he said, adding that 5.5 percent would pay for lower taxes on labour, a higher minimum wage –

– the basic wage possibly hiked to 200,000 forints (€ 570) and the one for skilled workers to 260,000 forints — while income tax would be waived for the under-25s. Further, families would enjoy a tax refund, he said.

Orbán’s secret plan against the virus

Kocsis said the coronavirus pandemic had hit a strong Hungarian economy, meaning the recovery would be easier.

The coming years, he said, would be “dangerous”, characterised by epidemics and mass migration. Referring to the upcoming National Consultation public survey, he said this is why it was necessary to find out people’s opinions. Also, their voice would add legitimacy to Hungary’s position in the course of European debates.

Government: EU acknowledged that Hungary is recovering from the virus crisis

Meanwhile, commenting on the paedophile law, he said the legislation was largely focused on criminal aspects of regulation against paedophiles.

“The law’s about protecting children,” he said, adding there was little to debate when it came to outlawing “sex propaganda” in the lives of 5-10 year-olds.

“Content inappropriate to a child’s age should be excised from their lives and education,” he said, adding that sex education was a matter for parents.

NGOs, he said, rather than providing educational materials, peddled propaganda.

The law, Kocsis said, did not disseminate information about various sexual identities, neither did it exclude anyone. “It merely protects the child from content that is inappropriate for their age”, while broadening parental rights.

He said he was “surprised” that the EU saw the law as a human rights issue. “I’d always thought protecting children is a common European value,” Kocsis said.

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Read alsoEverything you need to know about the new Hungarian “homophobic” law

Budapest is the third most popular city in the world for the Z generation!

Hungary Budapest Z generation

Gen Z is the largest generation in human history, and over the next 10 years, 1.3 billion of its members will enter the global workforce. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that this new generation is entering one of the toughest job markets in decades.

Small Business Prices analysed the top industries for Gen Z, looking at the number of jobs, salary expectations, social orientation and face-to-face contact to reveal the top positions where Gen Z will thrive. The research was conducted on a global scale to highlight the top cities and countries around the world where Gen Z has the most potential to succeed.


The 10 most popular career paths for Generation Z to work

Elementary trades such as selling goods, providing services, delivering or door keeping rank as the most popular profession for Gen Z to pursue a career in a post-pandemic world. The enticing starting salary of £33,000 can grow to nearly double at £64,000 for committed workers and the profession provides 17,000 jobs to the Gen Z demographic in the UK alone.

Sales occupations and health and social care professions are the next most popular option for Gen Z graduates and school leavers. Sales occupations account for a staggering 17.5% of the Gen Z working population, providing 124,000 jobs each year to Gen Z alone.

The top 10 most social roles for Generation Z who want social interaction at work

While Gen Z may have grown up surrounded by technology and social media, they still prioritise face-to-face contact as one of the top requirements for choosing a career path. According to a survey by the World Economic Forum, 72% of Gen Z prefer face-to-face conversation over digital conversations at work.

Health and social care professions are the most popular for Gen Z who’s necessity for face-to-face contact is further intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed even less exposure to peers in a workplace setting. Leisure and travel are the next most popular professions followed by sales occupations and teaching professions which offer the most in terms of social interaction for Gen Z.

The top 10 countries and cities for Generation Z to start a career

For Gen Z looking at moving abroad to start a career, Bern in Switzerland ranks as the most popular choice. With 438 bars and pubs per 100,000 capita, it is the top choice for those wanting a vibrant social scene following the pandemic. While the rent borders on the expensive side at an average of £902.66, the above-average salary of £4,174 more than compensates for this.

Bogota in Columbia and Budapest in Hungary rank as the next top cities for Gen Z.

Both cities boast a large social scene and affordable living costs for the younger generation who have yet to accumulate enough savings to facilitate extensive spending.

The bottom 10 countries and cities for Generation Z to start a career

Reykjavík, in Iceland on the other hand, is one of the least popular cities for Gen Z to work in 2021. This is predominantly due to the lack of a social scene with only 4 bars and pubs per 100,00 capita. It also has significantly higher living costs in comparison at £880.28 and an average rent of £1,082 making it increasingly difficult to have spending money or savings.

Oslo and Dublin are the next unpopular cities

for Gen Z to move post-Covid-19. Similarly to Reykjavik, Oslo offers little in terms of a social scene with 0.38 bars and pubs per 100,000 capita. While Dublin has a vibrant nightlife, the average monthly cost of rent, £1,288 eats through half of the average paycheck making excess spending money an ambitious feat for the younger generation.

The top 10 companies that Generation Z want to secure an internship

Unsurprisingly, Google ranks as the most desirable internship for Gen Z’s to secure after their studies.

Google receives over 2 million applications every year, and 1 out of every 130 applicants receives an offer for a position, making it 10 times harder to get into Google than Harvard.

This is followed by Apple and Microsoft which highlights the large tech corporations as the dominator for hiring the bright minds of the future. Tesla is the fourth most popular choice for internships and also one of the newest companies on the list, highlighting the tech billionaire CEO, Elon Musk’s profound influence on the younger generation.

Finance minister: Hungary ranks 42nd in IMD competitiveness report

VARGA Mihály

Hungary has jumped five places to rank 42nd in the report published by the Swiss IMD World Competitiveness Center, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said on Thursday.

Hungary showed the third largest improvement according to the center’s 2021 yearbook which listed 63 countries, Varga told an online press conference.

Varga said government measures aimed to balance the fallout of the epidemic as well as to help the economy “come out on top” after the crisis, were at the root of the progress.

The Hungarian government handled the crisis by tax cuts, investment support and job protection through steps such as a loan moratorium and wage support, Varga said.

The IMD results show the effectiveness of those measures, as Hungary’s improvement was largest in the competitiveness of the tax system, in the job market and international investments, he said.

Hungary has jumped to 8th place in economic performance, its best ranking since the IMD report was launched 25 years ago, Varga said. Within that factor, Hungary’s performance in the employment and taxation subsections was the best ever recorded, he added.

In international investments, Hungary has improved 30 places, Varga said, thanks to the government policy prioritising investment support, Varga said. Some 4,000 billlion forints of last year’s budget went towards that goal, he said. The National Investment Agency has supported 907 projects in 2020, resulting in investments worth 4,078 billion euros, he added.

Hungary will continue the work as “the 42nd place is far from what the country deserves”, Varga said.

IMD put “looming inflation”, “pressures on public finance due to COVID-19 and the election year of 2022” and “COVID-19 related socio-economic disruptions” among the challenges Hungary faces in 2021.

brussels szijjártó
Read alsoCompetitiveness, environment protection must go hand in hand, says Minister Szijjártó in Brussels

Ten Hungarian universities have been ranked among the best in the world

library-university-education-books

A total of ten Hungarian universities were included in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Among them are names like ELTE, BME and SE.

The field rankings have been compiled since 2017, examining a total of 54 fields – the authors of the list mainly take into account the publishing activity, including the number of publications and their place of publication, citation, the proportion of publications in international cooperation and the number of significant awards in the field. This year’s ranking includes more than 1,800 from 4,000 universities in 93 countries/regions.

More and more international students are studying in Hungarian higher education. The number of students coming from outside of the border reached 38,000 by 2020 – said Tamás Schanda, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

According to a statement published by MTI, one of the important commitments of the government’s Graduation Change in Higher Education strategy announced in 2014 was to increase the attractiveness of Hungarian education as part of the modernisation of academic life, and by 2023 40,000 foreign students to participate in higher education.

Their mass decision shines a further positive light on the current state of the higher education available in Hungary. We have innumerable amazing options, but the following ones are internationally recognised.

Like last year, Eötvös Loránd Science University was ranked among the best in the world in six fields. ELTE is in physics (101-150), mathematics (201-300), psychology (201-300), meteorology (301-400), biology (401-500) and ecology ( 401-500.) It is based on this data that ELTE is considered the best Hungarian university.

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics also specialises in mathematics and physics from 301-400th; and 201-300 in the field of mechatronics engineering.

The University of Debrecen gained its prized place in the field of Physics (301-400.) and environmental studies (401-500.).

Semmelweis University is in the 401-501. category in biology, (301-400.) in Human Biology, 201-300. clinical pharmaceutical sciences, in the outstanding 151-200. category with its dentist training and 201-300. in the field of pharmaceutical technology.

The University of Veterinary Medicine is in 201-300th place in the field of veterinary sciences; Szent István University also obtained the 201-300. place.

The University of Pécs is in the 201-300. range with the clinical pharmaceutical sciences course, 401-500 in the field of public health, and the University of Szeged in 401-500th place in clinical medicine.

The Corvinus University of Budapest is located at 301-400th place in economics and 301-400. in political science. CEU, in the 151-200. category has gained a place among the universities teaching economics, 76-100. in political science, 201-300. in psychology, 101-150. in governmental studies

Incidentally, most of the first places were won by American universities, which were ranked first globally in 30 disciplines, while Chinese institutions – increasing their number of first places by two – proved to be the best in 13 disciplines. This year, overall, Harvard topped the top 15, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the podium in 6 disciplines.

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Half of Hungarians ready to retrain and find a job in new fields

Hungary labour market
Nearly half of Hungarians are ready to retrain to find jobs in fields widely different from their expertise, according to an international survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, The Network, and profession.hu.
 
Fully 49 percent of Hungarians said they would be ready to retrain and another 47 percent said they would do it to retain their jobs. Over
half of Hungarians working in retail, health care, telecommunications and finance said they were open to training in another field.
According to the survey conducted between October and December last year, 36 percent of employees worldwide have suffered layoffs or reduced working hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Hungary, that figure was 32 percent, on par with Finland and Serbia, the statement said.

The economic fallout hit older and more highly trained Hungarians harder than the global average. Layoffs and reduced working hours affected 87 percent of workers in the hospitality industry, but other sectors including retail, media, finance and energy have also suffered, they said.

Respondents see the IT, marketing and human resources sectors as attractive career opportunities.

The survey was conducted between October and December last year with nearly 210,000 respondents in 190 countries. Fully 1,100 Hungarian employees participated, 49 percent of whom were university graduates.
 

Budapest is second among the cities with the cheapest lifestyle for retirees

tourist budapest hungary
 

Audley Villages have researched and revealed the countries around the world whose citizens are the most prepared for retirement. 

The study analyses a variety of metrics, including retirement age, government pension initiatives and health grade of the 37 OECD countries and capital cities in order to determine which cities and their citizens are the most prepared for retirement. The luxury retirement village developer reveals how retirement planning varies around the world.

In order to determine which city provided the cheapest lifestyle for retirees, the study took several metrics including the percentage of individuals who owned their homes, property prices per square meter along with the cost of a three-course meal and fitness club in each city.

Budapest scores consistently when it comes to the price of property, fitness club memberships and the price of a three course meal – making it the cheapest city when it comes to retirement living.

91.7% of individuals in Budapest own their own property which helps give financial security. A couple will spend around $38.98 for a meal out and around $83.24 for joint monthly fitness club fees.

A variety of metrics were used to determine which cities citizens were most prepared for retirement including the average number of citizens over 65, property prices per square meter and the percentage of household disposable income put into saving. 

Budapest claims 18th place in the top 20 countries whose citizens are most prepared for retirement.

This ranking is mainly due to the city’s higher than average percentage of household income put into saving along with lower than average property prices per square meter at just $3,354.82. The city also offers lower than average costs of a three-course meal as well as cheaper fitness club memberships when compared with other countries in the study. 

In order to see the full study please follow this LINK.

Young British people want to ditch the monarchy, poll suggests

queen elizabeth

Young people in Britain no longer think the country should keep the monarchy and more now want an elected head of state, with their mood souring over the last couple of years, a poll on Friday showed.

The British monarchy traces its history back to William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066, though royals ruled the patchwork of kingdoms which stretched across what became England, Scotland and Wales for centuries before that.

According to the survey by YouGov, 41% of those aged 18 to 24 thought there should now be an elected head of state compared to 31% who wanted a king or queen.

That was a reversal of sentiment from two years ago, when 46% preferred the monarchy to 26% who wanted it replaced.

However, overall the survey had better news for Queen Elizabeth, 95, and the royal family, with 61% favouring the monarchy while just under a quarter thought it should be replaced with an elected figure.

The last few months have been difficult for the Windsors with the death of the queen’s 99-year-old husband Prince Philip in April and the crisis that followed the interview by Elizabeth’s grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan with U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March.

Previous polls have indicated an age divide, with younger generations holding more favourable views of Harry and Meghan than their older counterparts who had overhwelmingly negative feelings about them.

While there is no possibility of an end to the monarchy while the queen remains on the throne, there is concern for the royals about a declining support among younger Britons.

The survey of 4,870 adults found 53% of those aged between 25-49 supported keeping the monarchy, down five percentage points from a similar poll in 2019, while support for an elected head was up 4 points.

Amongst those aged over 65, 81% backed the monarchy, almost unchanged from two years ago.

Prince Philip funeral UK
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Trust in EU governments falls amid pandemic, steady in EU as a bloc

VON DER LEYEN, Ursula; ORBÁN Viktor

European Union citizens’ support for their national governments has fallen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic began, although the supranational bloc itself has maintained trust, a survey by an EU agency published on Thursday showed.

The survey by Eurofound, the EU agency for improving living and working conditions, showed that citizens in 26 of the 27 EU countries had less faith in their national governments than when COVID-19 lockdowns began in March last year. The exception was Denmark, where sentiment was steady.

The study also found that trust in the bloc itself was generally higher than for national governments even after sharp criticism of the executive European Commission over delays to COVID-19 vaccine procurement and delivery.

Eurofound said the survey was based on three rounds of polling based on an overall sample of 138,629 people.

After improving last summer when the bloc approved its multi-billion-euro recovery plan, trust in the EU as an organisation fell slightly in February and March from a year earlier.

Most recently, people in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece and Poland registered much lower support for their governments than a year ago.

Austria, whose government was initially praised for its handling of the pandemic but then faced criticism over its vaccine purchases, saw one of the biggest falls in support over the past year, the survey found.

Denmark and Finland were the countries with the highest trust in the national government.

The study confirmed a historical trend that Europeans trust the EU as a organisation more than their national governments.

Citizens in France, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Spain said they trusted the EU more now than at the start of the pandemic, although support fell in Germany, the EU’s most powerful member.

Fourteen months after the first COVID-19 cases were recorded in the EU, Eurofound warned that rising inequality and fatigue could lead to instability if more is not done to help Europeans.

“Failing to prevent the rise of economic and social inequalities among citizens and member states risks … triggering political discontent against the European social contract that binds all of us together,” the survey said.

viktor orbán radio
Read alsoSurvey: Majority of Hungarians satisfied with government crisis management