Keywords

1 Introduction

Attitudes towards the EU are fairly positive in Hungary. In 2022, 47% of Hungarian citizens claimed to hold a positive image of the EU (as compared to the EU average of 44%). The Hungarians’ attachment to the EU reported by the Eurobarometer (70%) is higher than the EU average (58%) and places Hungary among the countries with the highest attachment levels. However, participation in European Parliament elections is somewhat lower than the EU average. Besides this, the partly EU-sceptic FIDESZ-KDNP won an absolute majority of votes in the 2019 EU elections, while the explicitly pro-EU parties only secured 37.4% in totalFootnote 1 [see p. 159, 257 in European Commission (2022b) and European Parliament (2022)].

Young people aged between 15 and 24 view the EU more positively, are more optimistic about the Union’s future, and display significantly higher trust levels than the Hungarian average [see pp. 7, 22 in European Commission (2022a)]. At the same time, according to a study conducted by a government-friendly think tank, almost half of first-time voters voted for FIDESZ-KDNP in the 2022 parliamentary elections (MCC 2022).Footnote 2

The 43.4% participation in the 2019 European Parliament elections was somewhat lower than the EU average (50.66%) (European Parliament 2022). In contrast, turnout for the 2022 national elections stood at 69.5% (Election Guide 2022). Young Hungarians also have been found to lack political engagement, which is in accordance with broader regional trends [see p. 19 in Oross et al. (2018)]. As per a 2020 poll among Hungarian youth, only 17% of respondents reported being strongly interested in politics, while 38% were not very much interested or not at all. In addition, 31% of respondents claimed they had not taken part in any political or civic activity (including voting in elections) in the previous 2 years [see p. 5 in NDI & Political Capital (2020)].

The present report summarises the findings of four group discussions conducted among students in two Hungarian peripheral towns. Participants agreed on the importance of freedom of movement, the EU-wide right to healthcare, and a financial redistribution within the EU. With regard to the other policies, each group established its own priorities.

2 Towns, Schools, and Discussion Participants

The group discussions with Hungarian students took place in Siófok in the southern Transdanubian region and in Karcag in the northern Great Plain. Siófok has 24,968 inhabitants and Karcag 19,353 (Belügyminisztérium 2022). The two towns vary considerably in terms of their economic profiles and cityscapes. Differences between vocational and secondary schools were evident in both cities, with secondary school students having more prior knowledge and being slightly more engaged in the discussions.

In contrast to the peripheral character of its near surroundings, Siófok is the largest town around Lake Balaton and a popular (domestic) tourist destination, making it one of Hungary’s wealthiest towns. However, out of season, the city centre is deserted, and shops and restaurants around the holiday villas on the waterfront are closed, while only a few stores in the town centre and near the train station are open. The residents live on the outskirts in condominiums and prefabricated flats. They typically travel within town by local bus, car, or bicycle. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, the FIDESZ-KDNP candidate won nearly 60% of the Siófok votes, followed by the opposition coalition candidate with 35.8%. The turnout was 67%, which is slightly below the national average (NVI 2022). In the 2019 European Parliament elections, the turnout (47.9%) was higher than the national average, and FIDESZ-KDNP received 52.5% of the votes, followed by the pro-EU, social-liberal DK with 19% and Momentum with 9.4%. The other parties gained weak support (NVI 2019b).

In contrast to Siófok, the town of Karcag is not a very popular tourist destination and mainly active in natural gas production and agriculture. The town hall, court, police station, post offices, and schools are located in the small city centre, which is very green with many parks and some playgrounds. It is surrounded by condominiums and prefabricated buildings, while the suburbs are marked by single-storey houses with large courtyards. There are many shops in the town, but few hotels, restaurants, bars, and cultural facilities. The roads are in a very bad condition. Local transportation is provided by bus, but many people also ride bicycles or walk. The train station is a 25 min walk from the centre, and the city is easily accessible by train from Budapest. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, the FIDESZ-KDNP candidate won 64% of the votes while the united opposition’s candidate received 29.2%. Turnout stood at 60.7%, below the national average (69.6%) (NVI 2022). In the 2019 EP elections, the FIDESZ-KDNP candidate won 64.4% of the votes, Jobbik 11%, and DK 9.6%, and turnout (41.74%) was slightly lower than the national average (43.6%) (NVI 2019a).

The group discussions took place at a secondary and a vocational school in both cities, respectively. In Siófok, one class from the Krúdy Gyula vocational school and one from the Perczel Mór secondary school participated. While the former school is located on the outskirts of town in a 1970s building typical of Hungary, the latter is in the city centre in a building renovated in a somewhat more modern way. Both are easily accessible by bus and on foot. The Krúdy school has 712 students in 26 classes, who can choose from various professions such as baker, commercial salesman, logistics or economic technician, financial-accounting administrator, baker-confectioner, cook, and catering waiter. The Perczel Mór secondary school has 565 students in 17 classes and offers extra lessons in English and German, as well as a humanities and science class. In both schools, the group discussions were held in separate classrooms. In both cases, as always, there were eight participants, randomly selected but ensuring gender parity. The teachers were supportive, and they did not attend the discussions. Overall, students were not overly interested and had little prior knowledge about the EU, so the conversation was rather slow, but there were two to three students in the secondary school who were particularly active.

The group discussions in Karcag took place at Nagykun Református secondary school and Varró István vocational school, which are located in the city centre. The secondary school is in an old, renovated building with spacious classrooms, while the vocational school is housed in a socialist building similar to the one in Siófok. Nagykun School has 267 enrolled students and offers extra lessons in foreign languages, the humanities, and science. No teacher was present during the group discussion, but the head of class encouraged students to participate and to be active. The vocational school has 270 students, who can choose from professions such as nurse, social worker, cook, carpenter, bricklayer, financial and accounting administrator, and locksmith. The teachers were helpful, encouraging the students, who at first did not want to participate in the discussion. Despite this, most of the students did not actively participate, many of them answered the questions with difficulty or gave answers that had already been given. Compared to the students of the Karcag secondary school, it seemed that they had only limited knowledge about the EU, its institutions, principles, and rights.

3 The Situation of the Young People and Their Self-image as Citizens

Typical narratives of the students in the discussions were that their respective towns were not very vibrant, that there were few (job) opportunities, and that they would leave for a different city or abroad in the future due to these problems or for university studies. The narratives regarding EU citizenship were more diverse and opinions less fixed. The vast majority of the students from both towns answered that they had not heard of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Students at the Siófok vocational school hoped for a qualified job in logistics or another economic sector. Moving to Budapest or foreign countries, mostly Austria, as favourite destinations, was a prevalent plan. The secondary school students who envisaged visiting university imagined living in Budapest or abroad in 10 years’ time. Students of both types of school considered Siófok a nice town, but they deplored that it was overcrowded by tourists in summer and deserted in winter, with few leisure facilities and poor public transport and road conditions.

Most Karcag vocational students wanted to work in their profession (nurse/hospital worker) after graduation and imagined themselves in another Hungarian city or abroad. For secondary school students, the main narrative was to live in a big Hungarian city or abroad where they could attend university and later earn larger salaries. Like the vocational students, they reported that the city had developed recently, offering many parks and possible activities in summer, but that there were still few opportunities, especially in terms of leisure activities, schooling for young people, and community life in winter. The poor quality of roads and dangerous pedestrian traffic were also mentioned.

When asked what it meant for them to be EU citizens and what linked them to other people living in the EU, the Karcag vocational students first mentioned the financial support that comes with EU membership and the developments that have been made thanks to it. They also talked about the Schengen area and its benefits, the common currency, and the right to healthcare in all Member States as a way of bringing people in the EU together. Most students of the Karcag secondary school also felt that the Schengen area made it easier for them to meet friends and relatives living abroad, and in this sense, the EU connects them most with people in other countries. Some said that the EU’s financial support allowed less developed countries to catch up with more developed ones, thus connecting them. Others stated that the introduction of the Euro in all Member States would better connect EU citizens.

Students from Siófok vocational school only highlighted the ease of travelling and moving within the EU, while some Siófok secondary school students thought that Hungary’s EU membership was barely noticeable. They held this view because Hungary had not introduced the Euro and they had little contact with people from other Member States. As in the Karcag secondary school, the free movement of people was mentioned by most secondary students in Siófok as a reason for being linked to other EU citizens, especially family members or friends. Overall, most participants felt like EU citizens mainly because of the free movement of people and the ease of crossing borders. While some of the students in Karcag felt that EU citizenship definitely had an impact on their lives, some of the students in Siófok claimed the opposite.

When asked what the EU could do to make them feel more like EU citizens, students suggested that taking part in exchange programs or travelling, the introduction of the Euro, an EU-wide minimum wage, or more space for European issues in school curricula could contribute to their sentiment about EU citizenship.

4 Perceptions of the EU and EU Rights

When asked to rank the policies and freedoms provided by the EU, a number of similar narratives were apparent concerning the most and least important issues, while the opinions were more heterogenous regarding some particular rights and freedoms.

All four groups agreed that the EU-wide right to healthcare was one of the EU’s most crucial offerings. Other concepts that were mentioned at least twice were financial support to weak regions in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumer protection, the free movement of people, the right to clean drinking water, and peace. Concerning the EU-wide right to healthcare, students recounted vacations abroad during which they required medical services. Although it only appeared in the “Top 5” of one school, non-discrimination was discussed in three out of four discussions, and while some students agreed that it was non-essential, other participants pointed to racism and homophobia in Hungarian society and implicitly referred to the government’s anti-LGBTQ policies when explaining why they deemed non-discrimination a crucial right.

Regarding the least important features, three out of four groups decided that Erasmus+, the European Citizens’ Initiative, access to documents, and the abolition of roaming charges could be discarded.Footnote 3 In the case of Erasmus+, many pupils were unaware of the exchange opportunities for high school students and apprentices. They claimed that the program had “nothing to do with them” and asserted that there were alternative ways for people to work or study abroad (Siófok secondary and Karcag vocational school). Regarding the roaming charges, students from the Siófok secondary school argued that they were more relevant for regular travellers. In general, it was frequently asserted that a nation state should supply services like clean water, data, or consumer protection on its own rather than relying on the EU.

Some rights and freedoms were considered very important by some groups but less so by others. While non-discrimination was placed in the “Top 5” by the group from the Karcag vocational school, it was deemed irrelevant by the students from the Karcag secondary school and the Siófok vocational school. Problems with racial discrimination in Hungary were mentioned repeatedly. Students from the Karcag vocational school voiced concerns about discrimination based on sexual orientation and implicitly referred to the FIDESZ-KDNP government’s crackdown on the LGBTQI community. On the other hand, the students from the Karcag secondary school stated that the fight against discrimination was each individual’s responsibility and therefore not connected to the EU.

When discussing the rights and freedoms connected to EU citizenship, some concepts first needed clarification in vocational schools, whereas the discussions in the secondary schools were somewhat more informed and reflective. Examples of terms recurrently requiring elucidation were the independence of the judiciary and the European Citizen’s Initiative. In addition, students were often unaware of the impact the EU has on certain policy areas. For example, the Siófok vocational students at first were not aware of the exact benefits entailed by European Health Insurance. Thus, it sometimes became evident from their argumentation that students were not equipped to make informed decisions on certain topics.

The FIDESZ-KDNP government’s policies were only mentioned seldomly and implicitly: twice in relation to LGBTQI rights and once in relation to the independence of the judiciary. Given Hungary’s polarised political climate and media scene, this is startling. Regarding several of the discussed issues (i.e. the judiciary, non-discrimination), there are profound conflicts and even legal quarrels between the government, on the one side, and the opposition, international observers, and the EU institutions, on the other. The fact that these matters were barely mentioned during the discussions—neither in a critical nor in an appreciative way—may suggest that the students are somewhat uninformed about or uninterested in (EU) politics.

5 The Right to Vote and EU Elections

When asked whether they considered it important (e.g. an “opportunity”) to partake in the European Parliament elections, students overall agreed on the importance of voting in order to ensure representation, make one’s voice heard, and influence the political decisionmaking processes. They also stressed the EU’s impact on Hungarian daily life and the resulting need for the representation of national interests at a European level. At the same time, they emphasised that national elections were more important than EU ones. Students frequently accentuated that single individuals might not feel that their vote counts, but that it is the overall number of votes that makes the difference. Finally, students stated that people who were uninterested in and uninformed about politics were unlikely to vote because they did not care about the elections and did not understand the potential consequences of their vote. Some students added that these individuals, in fact, should not vote and stressed the importance of making informed decisions in order to ensure competent political representation. While there were no clear differences in the answers attributable to the respective types of schools, vocational students seemed to be slightly more sceptical regarding the importance of the EP elections and the impact of one’s individual vote.

Students across geographical locations and types of schools agreed that awareness for the EP elections needed to be raised, and they mentioned several possible ways to achieve this end. Students argued that traditional offline advertising techniques like posters and leaflets were essential. An additional focus was put on social media: numerous students suggested that influencers on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram could play a vital role in promoting the European elections. Students also mentioned television advertising and election information as a possible strategies. In this regard, they also referred to the uneven coverage of national and EP elections in the (government-affiliated) public media, demanding that the latter be required to cover EP elections as extensively as national ones. Participants widely agreed that more information on the elections needed to be disseminated and that this information needed to be substantial and grounded. As a possible remedy for the low turnout, they proposed school workshops and events, as well as a greater emphasis on how the EU functions in school curricula. Students argued that many young voters needed to be informed about the value of their votes, especially if it was their first opportunity to cast one. Young people were considered a vital voting base since the students expected them to shape the future of the European project.

Most participants in the group discussions agreed on the importance of raising awareness about the elections and informing voters about them. Several students suggested incentivising the voting process monetarily, but such suggestions were also problematised with reference to the risks of manipulation and fraud. In addition, some Karcag vocational students proposed introducing compulsory voting. However, this idea caused immediate criticism as some students were convinced that it would spark protest and outrage and ultimately discourage individuals from voting.

Although the general points were similar, the discussions’ emphasis was somewhat different: students from the Siófok secondary school focused mostly on raising awareness and providing information. Students in the Siófok vocational school seemed to be less enthusiastic about voting in general. In Karcag, the students from the secondary school had a quite extensive discussion on the importance of addressing young people, as well as the prospects for fostering turnout via not only social but also public media. The students in the Karcag vocational school mainly discussed whether compulsory voting would be desirable.

6 Conclusion

While Hungarian citizens display greater levels of trust in the EU and a more favourable perception of the Union than the EU average, sizable portions of the public support FIDESZ-KDNP, a coalition that frequently uses nationalist and EU-critical language. The same seems true for this particular group of young people. Studies have also revealed that many of them are disengaged and fairly uninterested in politics.

The present report reveals that living in peripheral areas can come with distinct experiences and challenges. The economic profile and cityscape of the two towns where the group discussions took place vary considerably. However, the narratives in the discussions do partly overlap. Moreover, there were differences between the discussions in vocational and secondary schools in both cities, with secondary students having more prior knowledge and being slightly more engaged in the discussions.

All groups agreed on the importance of the right to healthcare—a fact which might have been accelerated by the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, many of them stressed the importance of freedom of movement and financial redistribution within the EU. Students needed explanations for several of the EU’s rights and freedoms because they did not seem to fully grasp the scope of the former, which made it difficult for them to decide on their priorities. The FIDESZ-KDNP government’s policies were hardly mentioned, even if they are openly in conflict with EU jurisdiction (for example, on matters such as non-discrimination or the independence of the judiciary). In a highly polarised political climate, this could indicate that the students were either underinformed or uninterested in (EU) politics.

Students overall agreed on the importance of voting and raising awareness for national and especially European elections. They stressed the significance of social media for motivating young people to cast their vote.