survey

Did you know? Flight tickets are the cheapest in Hungary in the region

wizz air over budapest

Kiwi.com says that the prices of plane tickets increased in Hungary to EUR 90. However, they are still the lowest in the Central European region. Meanwhile, Hungary got into the top 20 most popular flight destinations on the website’s booking system in 2022.

During the summer, the average price of plane tickets was EUR 175 from Europe. That is lower than in 2019 (EUR 197) but higher than the price of 2021 (EUR 123). In Hungary, that price is only EUR 125. The short-range air travels from Europe (<1,499km) cost an average of EUR 116 this year. But in Hungary, that figure was only EUR 93, turizmus.com reported.

In autumn, those numbers went down to EUR 135 in Europe and EUR 90 in Hungary. That is the cheapest in the region since that figure is EUR 91 in Slovakia, EUR 102 in Romania, EUR 105 in Poland, EUR 125 in Spain and EUR 139 in Czechia.

Hungary emerged into the top 20 flight destinations in the kiwi.com ticket booking system. Furthermore, they also said that Hungary is a more popular destination in autumn than in summer.

Wizz Air
Read alsoWizz Air is ready to take the place of Romanian airline Tarom

Hungarian children are given a phone by the age of six

Phone child

A representative survey shows that in Hungary, children usually get their first phone at the age of 6.

Yettel and Xplora conducted a joint representative survey. It looked at the time children aged 5 to 11 receive a mobile phone in Hungary.

tankönyv ukrajna oroszorszag haboru
Read alsoYou will be surprised what Hungarian children are learning about the Russian war in Ukraine

In Hungary, the average age at which children receive their first phone is 6 years. They use it for playing and watching games until the age of 8. At the age of 8, they get a SIM card for their phone.

9 out of 10 children regularly use the internet on their phones. Half of the parents give their child a mobile phone so that they can call for help if they have a problem, according to telex.hu. Most parents fear that their child is too young to use a mobile phone. Many are concerned that their children would watch adult content on their phones or take time away from study and exercise.

Only 5 percent of children aged 10-11 do not have any digital device.

Yettel and Xplora interviewed 500 people in their research. The survey is representative by municipalities and regions.

freezing cold weather
Read alsoAutumn break at ELTE BTK could be cancelled due to the rise in overheads

Majority of Hungarians would prefer peace talks to sanctions

Ukraine war Russia devastation

Fully 86 percent of Hungarians would prefer Ukraine and Russia to sit down for talks to end the war instead of the sanctions imposed on Russia, according to a Századvég Foundation survey published on Wednesday.

Hungarians have a low opinion of leading politicians involved in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, with 68 percent expressing a poor opinion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Szazadveg’s survey of 1,000 adults in September. Negative views of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, have fallen from 72 percent in June to 69 percent in September, the think-tank added. US President Joe Biden was unpopular with 64 percent of respondents, while 50 percent had a poor opinion of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the survey indicated.

Regarding sanctions policy, 50 percent of respondents said the sanctions currently in force against Russia were “over the top”, while 25 percent saw them as “adequate”, with no need for further measures. Some 20 percent considered sanctions not stringent enough, the think-tank said. Fully 72 percent said the European and US sanctions against Russia were harmful for the EU and Hungary, while 21 percent saw them as “on balance more useful”, it added.

tankönyv ukrajna oroszorszag haboru
Read alsoYou will be surprised what Hungarian children are learning about the Russian war in Ukraine

International institute: Hungary among the world’s most peaceful states

Fireworks air show Budapest national day

The Institute for Economics and Peace recently published its Global Peace Index and found that Hungary is the 13th most peaceful place, preceding Germany, Norway, Belgium and Australia.

The institute analysed 163 countries using 23 indicators to compare them. Among the indicators, there is the number of citizens diseased in foreign conflicts, the number of violent protests and their outcome, or political instability. Further indicators concern how citizens access handguns and how great the country’s armed forces are.

In the physical and general safety, Iceland, Norway and Denmark finished in the first three places. On the other end of the list are Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan and the DRK. Meanwhile, regarding the armament of the different countries, Hungary is fourth behind Iceland, Slovenia and New Zealand. Magyar Nemzet believes that is because of the government’s defence force development programs carried out in the last few years. 

The institute found Europe more peaceful than in 2021. That is because they put Ukraine and Russia in the Eurasian region. In Europe, Turkey is on the end of the list, while Estonia fell back a lot because of the war in Ukraine. The Estonian government regularly ships weapons to Ukraine. Moreover, there were several violent protests linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Europe, Hungary is the 9th most peaceful country.

 

couple home sexy
Read alsoEverything you need to know about the sex life of Hungarians!

Shanghai ranking: these Hungarian universities are in the world’s top

Hungary higher education university ranking

Shanghai Ranking Consultancy has released the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) today. According to that, four Hungarian universities are among the world’s top 1000. Can you guess which universities are Hungary’s best?

Hungarian universities among the world’s top ones

According to eduline.hu, four Hungarian universities made it to the world’s top 1000. These are the Eötvös Loránd University, the Semmelweis University, the University of Technology and Economics in Budapest and the University of Szeged. The Semmelweis University and the Eötvös Loránd University ranked at the top of the Hungarian institutions. They both are between the 601-700th positions. Meanwhile, the University of Szeged is the 701-800th and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics the 901-1000th place.

The ranking has been conducted since 2003 by China’s Jiao Tong University. They publish the results every year in August.

According to their website, “ARWU considers every university that has any Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Highly Cited Researchers, or papers published in Nature or Science. In addition, universities with a significant amount of papers indexed by Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) are also included. In total, more than 2500 universities are actually ranked, and the best 1000 are published”.

The most trustworthy ranking

Universities are ranked by several academic and research performance indicators, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices, and the per capita academic performance of an institution, they wrote. HERE you can read more about the methodology.

ARWU has been recognised as the precursor of global university rankings and the most trustworthy one. This year, more than 2,500 institutions were scrutinized, and the best 1,000 universities in the world were published, shanghairanking.com wrote.

Harvard University tops the ranking list for the 20th year. Stanford University remains at the No. 2 seat. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rises one position to No. 3. Other Top 10 universities are Cambridge (4th), Berkeley (5th), Princeton (6th), Oxford (7th), Columbia (8th), Caltech (9th), and Chicago (10th). In Continental Europe, Paris-Saclay University (16th) remains in the best position, followed by ETH Zurich (20th).

elte ttk universities in Hungary
Read alsoOne of Budapest’s main universities may close due to high overheads

Survey: Hungarians more optimistic about future than French, Italians

Hungarians are optimistic about future happy

Family and children are valued above all else by Hungarians, the French, Germans, Italians and the British, and children are seen as the key to solving demographic problems, according to a survey carried out by Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s (MCC) Youth Research Institute in February-March.

The telephone survey of a thousand people from each country showed that family is what is valued the most, MCC told MTI on Tuesday.

In the western European countries surveyed friends, free time, work, the nation, and religion and politics were considered important, whereas Hungarians valued work, religion and nation above all else, the survey found. Hungarians also wanted churches to play a greater role in society, according to the survey.

Also prized in the countries surveyed was inculcating a sense of responsibility, tolerance and good manners in the next generation, while passing on religious faith was seen as the least important prerogative.

Hungarians regard their own situation in relation to the previous generation as being easier compared with other nationalities, while the French were at the other end of the spectrum on this score.

As for future prospects, Italians and French were the gloomiest, while Hungarians had the sunniest outlook.

Meanwhile, Hungarians of different political views, religions and financial status enjoyed the easiest dialogue between them compared with the other nationalities surveyed.

Hungarians prefer gradual reforms in society compared with Italians and French, who are more open to radical changes, the survey found.

The solution to poverty in all countries was seen as job creation rather than benefits, and having children was seen as the solution to demographic problems rather than immigration.

#hungary #happiness #longlife
Read alsoSerious insight into Hungarians: we are increasingly unhappy

Hungary is about to face brutal inflation

supermarket_dairy_food

In July, compared to the previous year’s data, the rate of inflation reached 13 percent. To add fuel to the fire, the July calculations do not yet include the increase in overhead costs. Hungary is already suffering from high prices but the real inflation is just about to begin. 

The inflation in Hungary may have jumped to 13 percent in July, according to Portfolio‘s survey. In June, the KSH measured an annual rate of price increase of 11.7 percent. This means that a further significant acceleration in the rate of currency deterioration is expected.

What factors might cause inflation?

Although we cannot see the effect of the increase in overhead prices yet, there are other factors that can trigger inflation.

The factors are the following:

  • the weakening of the forint
  • the second-round effect of special taxes, integrated into prices
  • the chip tax (NETA) and the excise duty increase
  • war-inflicted supply shortages and rising prices of raw materials in production
  • food price shock
  • strong household demand
  • the continuous inclusion of market energy prices which affect other products and services

Duna Ipoly National Park
Read alsoWill the government sell the lands of the Hungarian national parks?

Inflation may peak at 16-17 percent in autumn

Experts believe that the price rise Hungarians experience in July is just the tip of the iceberg. The inflation may peak at 16-17 percent in autumn, and will likely not abate much by the end of the year. The forecast regarding the end of 2022 clearly shows how quickly the price increase accelerated. In January, the projected inflation for December was 3.4 percent, which surged to 8.6 percent in April and then reached 16.5% in the next four months.

Here are the record price rises

According to Mérce, margarine holds the highest price increase record with 41.4 percent. However, the price of bread follows it closely at 37.5 percent. Moreover, the price of cheese also rose by 35.4 percent, poultry meat by 34.3, dry pasta by 33.3, and dairy products by 30.3 percent.

If the weakening of the forint or the rising prices of raw materials were not enough, there is a huge drought as well this summer. Due to the climate change-triggered drought, the grain yield was also extremely low in Hungary. According to the calculations of the National Association of Agricultural Cooperatives and Producers, due to the drought, the price of edible wheat may increase by up to 30-40 percent.

European Union EU flag
Read alsoWill Hungarians vote about leaving the EU soon?

Hungarian ruling party Fidesz’s support has plummeted

Viktor Orbán Máté Kocsis Fidesz parliament

Fidesz’s popularity has fallen by 12 percentage points due to the events of recent weeks, according to Publicus Institute. Two-thirds of those polled say the party has broken its election promises, and even its own voters see the events of recent weeks as austerity.

Survey by Publicus Institute

According to a survey conducted by the Publicus Institute (which is not an independent pollster) on behalf of Népszava, 80 percent of respondents consider the restructuring of overhead cuts and the small business tax (kata) system to be a cutback. With this, 49 percent if Fidesz supporters polled also agree, 24.hu writes. Although Viktor Orbán still said on his Facebook page on Tuesday evening that the overhead cuts would remain, the recent poll shows that two thirds of people (68 percent) do not believe him, believing that Fidesz has broken its election promise.

Ruling party Fidesz lied?

58 percent of respondents said that Fidesz’s claim that the Hungarian economy is strong and that the benefits are sustainable was a lie, while 18 percent said it was a mistake. Equally remarkable is the fact that 70 percent of respondents are not satisfied with the way “things are going in the country”, mfor.hu writes. Only 2 percent of respondents consider the current state of the Hungarian economy to be very good and a further 20 percent rather good, while 32 percent consider it to be rather bad and 45 percent very bad. This is obviously helped by the fact that on average respondents perceive inflation at 44 percent.

Serious problems

Respondents generally consider the following things to be serious problems:

  • food price increases (60%),
  • the rise in utility prices (57%),
  • a reduction in the purchasing power of pensions and salaries (49%),
  • a reduction in savings (43%),
  • the cost of living in general (30%),
  • unemployment (8%).

With the change in the reduction of the overheads cuts (i.e. the increasing prices):

  • 25 percent of respondents agree,
  • 10 percent agree,
  • 48 percent disagree,
  • 14 percent somewhat disagree.

The majority expect their gas and electricity consumption to exceed the subsidised rate. Of these, 61 percent indicated gas and 81 percent electricity. On average, people perceive inflation at 44 percent. 31 percent say that “the war is more responsible for this, and to a lesser extent, the government’s economic policy”. 34 percent say “government economic policy is more responsible, the war in Ukraine less responsible”, while 29 percent said the two have “equal responsibility”.

Fidesz’s support is falling

All of this has already eroded Fidesz’s support, according to the polling institute, as its popularity has fallen by 12 percent in a month. However, it is not the opposition parties that have benefited from this, but rather the camp of the undecided has grown.

If the elections were held now, 24 percent of all respondents would vote for Fidesz and 23 percent for the opposition alliance. The Two-Tailed Dog Party (Kétfarkú Kutyapárt) and Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) would get 3-3 percent, other parties only 1 percent. The share of undecideds is 46 percent. Fidesz is on 32 percent of the sure voters, the united opposition on 31 percent. A surprisingly large number of voters (79 percent) said they would definitely participate in the election, reports mfor.hu.

hegedűs zsuzsa
Read alsoOrbán’s oldest ally resigns over the PM’s openly racist speech

Everything you need to know about the sex life of Hungarians!

couple home sexy

Twelve thousand people took part in a survey mapping the sexual life of Hungarians. The international scientific analysis led by Hungarian researchers is part of a global survey. It aims to discover the sexual habits of the people living in 45 countries.

A lot of Hungarians filled out the questionnaire about their sex life

The International Sex Survey was conducted online by an international team having Hungarian members from Canadian and Hungarian universities. They are Beáta Bőthe (Psichology Department, University of Montreal), Zsolt Demetrovics, Mónika Koós, and Léna Nagy (Psichology Department, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest). 82 thousand people filled the questionnaire globally, 12 thousand of them from Hungary. However, despite that high number, the results cannot be generalised to the Hungarians – telex.hu reported.

Interestingly, all those taking part supported organizations working for the sexual welfare of the people, for example, the World Association for Sexual Health.

57.2% of the Hungarians were men, 41.6% women, while 1.2% were non-binary, genderfluid or genderqueer. 99% were cisgender, meaning their biological sex reflected their gender identity. 1% said they were transgender or unsure about their gender.

Virginity, sex partners, masturbation

Here are some further details about those Hungarians who filled out the questionnaire:

  • average age: 36;
  • 69.6% had a degree, 29.3% a school-leaving exam, while only 1.1% finished their studies in primary education;
  • 46% live in Budapest, 20.2% in the cities, and only 5.4% in villages;
  • 21.1% were single, 36.2% lived in a relationship, 38.9% were married, 3.2% divorced, 0.6% widowed.
  • 80.5% were strictly heterosexual.
  • 4% were gay, 5.8% heteroflexible, 0.4% homoflexible, 5.6% bisexual, 1.1% pansexual, and 0.7% asexual. 

Finally, here are some of the research’s key findings in Hungary:

  • Hungarians lose virginity at the age of 17 on average
  • the average number of sex partners in Hungary is 15
  • 98.4% have already masturbated 
  • the majority of Hungarians masturbate between 2-3 times a month and 4-5 times a week
  • 71% had casual sex
  • Hungarians in a relationship have sex between 2-3 times a month and one time a week
  • 79.6% of those living in a relationship are satisfied with their sexual life. 13.1% are moderately satisfied, while 7.3% are dissatisfied.
  • Hungarians watch porn at the age of 14 for the first time
  • Hungarians watch porn 2-3 times a month which consumes an average of 22 minutes
Hungary European Union Brussels
Read alsoHuxit after Brexit? Rate of pro-EU Hungarians revealed

Serious insight into Hungarians: we are increasingly unhappy

#hungary #happiness #longlife

Hungarians have never been known for their happiness, but now, the statistics are even worse than before.

The World Happiness Report

Gallub has been publishing The World Happiness Report, an annual survey since 2005. It uses statistical analysis to rank the happiest countries on earth, writes Pénzcentrum.hu. A report published earlier this year for 2021 showed that – unsurprisingly – Finland was the happiest country in the world. Where is Hungary on this list? Not in a good position, that is for sure.

In the search for the happiest country in the world, researchers have compiled the results of a Gallup poll of 149 countries and summarised the happiness of people in each country according to different factors in 10 main categories.

How happy is Hungary?

The top three happiest countries are Finland, Denmark and Iceland. According to the survey, the unhappiest country is Afghanistan. Unfortunately, things are not going well in Hungary either. In 2020, Hungary was ranked 43rd on the list of the happiest countries in the world. Last year’s results put us in 51st place, down 8 places.

The survey asked people in each country to rate their satisfaction with their lives on a scale of zero to ten. On the scale, zero means the worst quality of life and ten means the best. While Finns gave an average score of 7.8, this number is Hungary is 6.8. The people of Afghanistan, the country with the lowest happiness, gave an average score of 2.4, which is quite devastating.

From which aspects can the emotional climate of the world be examined?

Last year, Gallup conducted a comprehensive poll of the world’s countries on 10 key questions, entitled “How is the world’s emotional climate now?”. The results of the poll showed that Hungary did not do particularly well.

Aspects:

  • anger: 12 percent of Hungarians were angry the day before the survey;
  • sadness: 17 percent were sad;
  • stress: 31 percent were stressed;
  • worry: 28 percent were worried;
  • pain: 31 percent felt physical pain;
  • pleasure: 79 percent had enjoyed something;
  • fatigue: 50 percent were tired;
  • learning: 49 percent said they had learned something new;
  • smile: 72 percent smiled;
  • appreciation: 6 percent felt a total lack of appreciation the day before the survey.
Leo Rooftop
Read also5 unmissable rooftop bars in Budapest – PHOTOS

Food prices rising fastest in Hungary?

There is good reason to believe that bread will soon become a luxury item in the country: we have seen the biggest increase in the price of bread in the past year. Hungary shows the highest price increases for several food products.

A survey about the prices of foodstuffs

The prices of seven basic foodstuffs were compared in Privátbankár.hu’s Árkosár (Price Basket) survey based on Eurostat data. It was found that the price of bread, for example, had already risen by more than 12 percent in Hungary last November.

And in May, we reached the point where, in a year, we have to pay 38.4 percent more for the same bread in Hungary than last year. Looking at prices in neighbouring countries, the highest price changes were recorded in Bulgaria and Hungary, where prices rose by almost 40 percent.

As Blikk.hu writes, such a price rise cannot be explained solely by the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, it is not surprising if we consider the fact that it was already known in January that the mills had raised the price of flour by 10-15 percent, which meant that the price of bread was bound to rise.

Egg, cheese, butter

Egg prices have also increased significantly. Eurostat, based on data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH), has forecast an increase of almost 30 percent for May, with the only countries in the region with higher prices than Hungary being the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

For cheese and cottage cheese, only the Bulgarians are ahead of us, with a price change of 35.4 percent, one of the highest price rises in Europe for months, with only Lithuania showing a slight increase. The price of butter is something to be somewhat proud of: the 31.1 percent increase is at least not the highest in the region.

Meat

For pork, the increase in May was above 13 percent, but this is also a figure for the surrounding countries, with Hungary having the lowest increase in pork prices, in which the government price freeze on pork legs may have played a role.

Poultry in domestic stores was 34.2 percent more expensive. This figure is also the second highest after Bulgaria, even though the price of chicken tail, chicken breast and some chicken giblets in Hungary is also currently fixed under the price freeze from 1 February 2022.

In its article, mfor.hu underscores that according to Eurostat data, even the smallest price increase in the region is above 10 percent. However, in many neighbouring countries, prices are significantly lower, so the assumption that the price explosion is due to the war in the neighbouring country is not true. For example, in Romania, also a neighbour of Ukraine, most of the products surveyed have risen by the smallest – or almost the smallest – amount.

beach
Read alsoHeat alert in effect from today

Second-lowest standard of living in Hungary in the entire EU

Poor-Hungarian-sad

According to the latest Eurostat statistics, only people in Bulgaria have worse living standards than Hungarians if we look at consumption data. 

On Monday, Eurostat released the 2021 data that perhaps best reflect actual consumption in each EU country. Actual individual consumption, abbreviated as AIC, refers to all goods and services consumed by households. It encompasses consumer goods and services purchased directly by households, as well as services provided by non-profit institutions and the government for individual consumption (e.g., health and education services) – reports Eurostat. The data shows a good indication of the level of material well-being in each EU Member State. Numbers reveal where each member state stands if the EU average is taken as 100%. – writes qubit.hu.

Where do member states stand this year?

In 2021, Luxembourg proved to be the most prosperous EU Member State. On the other end of the scale, Bulgaria stands in last place, while Hungary is in second place at the bottom of the list, along with Slovakia.

Eurostat
2021 Statistics. Photo: Eurostat

However, regarding actual consumption, figures in Hungary have risen from 64 percent in 2011 to 70 percent in 2021.

Eurostat consumption data
Eurostat consumption data. Photo: Eurostat

The chart above shows the way individual consumption has changed in EU countries:

  • Romania strengthened from 54 to 82 percent,
  • Poland from 73 to 84,
  • Croatia from 62 to 73,
  • Czech Republic: from 76 to 85,
  • Slovakia: dropped from 75 to 70 percent.

Regarding prosperity growth, with a 6 percentage point increase, Hungary has performed quite poorly within the V4 region. Meanwhile, Romania has undergone significant developments over the past decade. In the southern member states, a tendency of fallback can be noticed. Greece fell from 87 percent of the EU average to 76 percent, Italy from 109 to 97, and Spain from 91 to 85. While the eastern member states started to catch up with the EU average, the southern ones started to lag behind.

basilica hungary budapest
Read alsoBudapest is among Europe’s cheapest cities in 2022!

Actual individual consumption in purchasing power parities

Eurostat
Actual individual consumption in purchasing power parities. Photo: Eurostat

According to the map above, Hungary belongs to those EU countries that score more than 25 percent below the EU average. However, it should be noted, that the statistics do not show how individual consumption varies in the country. In some cases, the elite may produce high numbers while in reality, the poor do not have any food. It is also possible that some countries only prosper because of loans. In addition, people might invest their incomes, which the statistics also fail to take into account.

budapest airport ferihegy
Read alsoBudapest among the top 100 airports in the world

Hungarians see protection of democracy as EP’s main role – Eurobarometer

European Union EU flag

A majority of Hungarians say the European Parliament’s primary responsibility is the protection of democracy and human rights, according to a fresh Eurobarometer survey released on Wednesday.

Altogether 37 percent of Hungarians surveyed considered the protection of democracy to be the legislative body’s most important role, compared with the EU average of 38 percent.

Fully 27 percent of Hungarians put the protection of human rights as the EP’s second most important responsibility, level with the EU average. A total of 22 percent of Hungarians said the EP should prioritise the protection of the rule of law.

The survey also found that 60 percent of Hungarians support Hungary’s EU membership, which is 5 percentage points below the EU average.

Altogether 46 percent of Hungarians said they had a positive view of the bloc compared with the EU average of 52 percent.

Read alsoPolish man murdering a Hungarian girl says demons possessed him

Budapest among best European cities for book lovers!

From classic fiction to mysteries, the ever-rising popularity of books means readers are able to dive into more enticing page-turners than ever before – with global book sales expected to exceed 129 billion USD by 2023. Still, the impending question lingers – which cities are home to the biggest booklovers?

Interested to find out, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com identified the number of libraries and bookshops across European capital cities using Openstreetmap’s API Overpass; as well as Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books and stationery to create a final aggregated score revealing the best and worst cities to be a bookworm.

Top 10 best European cities to be a bookworm:

Rank

City

Country

Library score

(/10)

Bookshop score (/10)

Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books, and stationery score (/10)

Overall bookish score (out of 10)

1

Zürich*

Switzerland

9.68

9.06

–

9.37

2

Luxembourg

Luxembourg

9.37

9.68

8.84

9.30

3

Bratislava

Slovakia

10

9.37

5.76

8.38

4

Reykjavík

Iceland

6.56

8.43

9.61

8.20

5

Chisinau

Moldova

7.18

8.75

–

7.97

6

Vienna

Austria

7.50

6.87

8.07

7.48

7

Helsinki

Finland

7.81

5.93

8.46

7.40

8

Paris

France

5.62

10

5.76

7.13

9

Warsaw

Poland

9.06

6.56

3.84

6.49

10

Amsterdam

Netherlands

3.43

7.50

7.69

6.21

*Note: for Switzerland, its capital Bern was changed to Zurich due to it being a denser area, more akin to a true capital.

 

You may find the full breakdown of results and complete list of European cities analysed HERE

Budapest, 17th among Europe’s best capital cities for booklovers

Hungary’s capital, Budapest, placed 17th overall in the study with a final score of 4.44/10. Budapest’s score peaked for its bookshops (7.18/10) then a median score for its libraries (5.00/10), however, its low score of 1.15/10 for its expenditures contributed to its overall ranking. 

TheKnowledgeAcademy.com can also reveal that

the best European city for booklovers is Zürich, Switzerland

– boasting the highest overall score (9.37/10). With its almost perfect library score (9.68/10) bumping the city to first place, book-obsessed Swiss readers will be glad to know that it also secured a high score for its bookshops (9.06/10).

Subsequently, Luxembourg followed in second place with a final bookish score of 9.30/10 – only a mere 7% less than Zürich in first. Luxembourg earned an impressive score across all categories – 9.68/10 for its bookshops, libraries (9.37/10) and expenditure (8.84/10), securing its rightfully high score.

Following in third is Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, which achieved a stellar 8.38/10. Despite earning just above a median score of 5.76/10 from expenditures, Bratislava earned a perfect score from its libraries (10/10) and an equally high score of 9.37/10 for its bookshops.  

Top five worst European cities to be a bookworm:

Rank

City

Country

Library score

(/10)

Bookshop score (/10)

Eurostat expenditure on newspapers, books, and stationery score (/10)

Overall bookish score (out of 10)

1

Skopje

North Macedonia

0.31

0.31

–

0.31

2

Bucharest

Romania

2.18

0.62

0.76

1.19

3

Belgrade

Serbia

1.56

3.75

0

1.77

4

Madrid

Spain

0.93

3.43

2.30

2.22

5

Minsk

Belarus

3.12

1.56

–

2.34

Please find the full breakdown of results and complete list of European cities analysed in the data sheet.

Out of all the cities analysed for the study, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com can also reveal that the worst European city for booklovers is Skopje, North Macedonia which earned a final bookish score of 0.31/10, as it tallied the same underwhelming scores for both its libraries and bookshop (0.31/10). 

For the full data breakdown, please see the blog HERE 

Read alsoBudapest stars as a top trending summer destination for the British!

Sigificant proportion of Hungarians would introduce euro in Hungary

forint euro bills

According to a recent survey, nearly 70% of the Hungarian population support the introduction of euro in Hungary.

According to a recent survey carried out by Eurobarometer, more than two thirds of those countries’ population that do not yet have the EU currency are in favour of introducing the euro. The survey was carried out at the end of April. Within the framework of which, a total of 7074 telephone interviews were conducted. Based on the results,

Romania (77%) and Hungary (69%) have the highest proportion of people in favour of the changeover to the euro.

Meanwhile, the proportion of Hungarian respondents opposing a unified European currency increased from 26% to 28% between 2021 and 2022.

It is worth noting that the exchange rate of the forint against the euro during the period of the survey was between 370 and 380. Since then there has been a more significant depreciation of the forint – reported by Portfolio.

As the Hungarian news portal Blikk reports, the lowest proportion of people supporting the introduction of a unified European currency are in Sweden (45%), Bulgaria (44%) and the Czech Republic (44%).

As far as preparedness is concerned, Croatians (37%) are the most prepared for the introduction of Euro that will come into effect in January. Meanwhile, citizens in Bulgaria and Hungary (23%) are the least prepared.

60% of respondents think that the introduction of the euro would have a positive impact on Hungary.

The proportion of those who think it would have a negative impact has also increased by 2% since last year (35%).

Nevertheless, the introduction of the euro is not yet expected in Hungary. Although György Matolcsy, governor of the Hungarian National Bank, said last year that Hungary wants to introduce the euro, the Orbán government, due to economic autonomy, does not plan to introduce it in the near future – reported by hvg.

forint euro bills
Read alsoSigificant proportion of Hungarians would introduce euro in Hungary

Szeged University best in Hungary in QS World University Rankings

University of Szeged

Retaining its 551-560th place in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, Szeged University remains the best in Hungary, the university told MTI on Thursday.

Published on Wednesday, the British QS World University Rankings 2023 listed 2,462 higher education institutions, about 800 more than last year, and ranked 1,422, including 122 new universities surveyed, it said.

Altogether eleven Hungarian universities have been considered, including two for the first time.

Debrecen University was ranked in the 651-700 category, while Eötvös Loránd University was placed between 701 and 750. The 801-1000 category featured Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Széchenyi University of Győr, and Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Budapest Corvinus University, Miskolc University, Pannon University of Veszprém and Óbuda University were placed between 1,001 and 1,200.

Source: MTI

Read alsoHungarian elected President of the UN General Assembly

Which is the most popular architectural style in Europe and Hungary?

museum budapest

From Bauhaus to Contemporary architecture, the world’s landscapes are lined with a rich tapestry of architectural styles which are loved (and complained about) by many. But which style is most favoured in Hungary?

Using social listening data, new research by comparethemarket.com.au has revealed the architectural designs spoken about most positively across the internet, as well as the ones which sparked the most negative conversations.

Neoclassical architecture is the architectural design Hungary takes to the web to speak about the most positively, compared to colonial architecture which is negatively spoken about the most.

positive
Source: comparethemarket.com.au/

Comparing the data across the globe, Gothic is the most positively spoken of architectural design in 13 countries, whereas colonial architecture is the topic of the most negative conversations in 23 out of the 54 countries analysed.

Colonial architecture stems from architectural inspiration being taken from a mother country and utilised in colonised areas, the most famous of these being American Colonial architecture. Colonial architecture is often a mix of other architectural styles in itself, typically being wood-centric and a simple rectangle in shape.

negative
Source: comparethemarket.com.au/

Commenting on the research, Simon Downes spokesperson for comparethemarket.com.au, says:

“Architectural styles are reflective of historical and cultural movements over the years, and their unique features foster diversity across each country’s landscape. When it comes to property, popular architectural styles can raise the value of your home considerably, and the age and structure can even affect your home insurance quote. Therefore, it is important to consider these factors when choosing the most appropriate home insurance deal for you.”

Budapest park
Read alsoHere is the winning plan for Budapest’s new City Hall Park — PHOTO GALLERY

Hungary is one of the smartest nations in the world!

teacher school class learning

According to a survey that ranked the top 25 countries in the world based on intelligence, Hungary is one of the smartest nations in the world.

Most intelligent nations in the world

The researchers at Vouchercloud were interested in which societies had made the most progress in the development of civilisation. They counted the number of Nobel Prizes won per country, assessed the current average IQ level and compared school results, as Index reports.

Hungary came 16th in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes, average intelligence quotient (IQ) and school test scores, with Denmark, Norway and Australia finishing behind us.

The list is dominated by Asia and Europe, with Japan ranking high on all three measures: fifth on school tests and sixth on Nobel Prizes and current IQ. Switzerland is in second place, while China came third. The United States is in fourth place, mainly because of its extraordinary number of Nobel Prizes: the U.S. has 368 prizes, almost three times as many as the UK, which is in second place on the list of Nobel Prizes.

Hungary’s ranks

Hungary is in 16th place. The country is ranked…

  • 21st in the world in terms of Nobel Prizes, with nine Nobel Prizes;
  • 24th in terms of IQ level, with an IQ of 98.1;
  • 14th in terms of education.

Nobel Prizes – Past

As Index writes, the top 25 countries for Nobel Prizes are dominated by the Western world, because the Nobel Prize is a Western innovation. However, we should not expect this to continue in the future: the relentless development of Asian intellectuals is rightly taking more and more prizes home.

IQ level – Present

The top six places of the IQ list are occupied by Asian countries. Finland is the first Western country to make the list. The United States is not even in the top 25 countries in terms of national IQ, while Mongolia has climbed to 12th place with an average IQ of 100.

Hungary is 24th with an IQ of 98.1.

School performance – Future

Asia also took the top five places on this list, which is no surprise considering the list of IQ levels. Among the best “performers”, Russia is in sixth place and the United States is in 13th.

Hungary follows closely behind in 14th place in terms of the high scores achieved by its students – 29.4% of Hungarian students perform exceptionally well.

vouchercloud list intelligence
Souce: Vouchercloud
Hungary Trianon map
Read alsoHungary lost 2/3rd of its territory 102 years ago: was it inevitable?