The Hungarian exodus: record number of students want to leave Hungary

A third of Hungarian university students are planning to settle down abroad permanently, while an even higher proportion hope to work abroad for a couple of years at least. Amongst university and college students Momentum is the most popular party. They also oppose all traditional left-wing parties.

As reported by index.hu, a significant proportion of university and college students are actively thinking of moving abroad, whether for the short-term or a more extended period. Most of them are motivated by the better quality of life and higher salaries offered outside of Hungary. While many are thinking of working abroad for a couple of years and then returning home, the worrying finding from the study conducted by “Active Youth” in 2019 is that one-third of Hungarians in higher education want to settle permanently in another country.

The study also considered young people’s political views. In an interview, researcher Andrea Szabó told index.hu that Orbán’s government is unable to influence young people’s political outlook – Hungary’s students are pro-West, which can be deduced from their voting pattern as well.

Medical students and students on other health-related courses are the most likely to pursue opportunities abroad, even more so than IT and engineering students.

The study only considers Hungarian students studying in Hungary. Researchers estimate that 5-10% of all Hungarian students are enrolled at higher education institutions abroad. This group is even less likely to return home.

Besides, knowledge inequality is also growing in Hungary; 60% of students at universities have at least one parent with a degree. This means that young people from this group are 2-3 times more likely to go to university than youth who do not have parents who went to university.

Out of all societal groups, it appears that students are the most interested in politics; merely 10% stated that they are not interested. Their political philosophy has shifted too. In 2011 40% believed democracy was the best political system, while in 2019 this figure rose to 57%. With Orbán’s political position solidifying, less and less Hungarian students accept a dictatorial regime.