Hungarians Consider Ukraine Almost as Big a Threat as Russia, Survey Shows

Hungarians consider Ukraine almost as big a threat as Russia, Hungarian daily Népszava reported on Sunday, citing a survey by Pew Research Center.

According to Népszava, the outcome of the survey comes as a result of the “effectiveness of Viktor Orbán’s government propaganda.”  

The survey respondents were presented with a list of several countries and asked whether they considered them a threat to Hungary. A third (33%) said they consider Russia to be the main threat. Ukraine came in second, with 27%.  

There were notable differences in how people answered based on their voting preferences.  

“Only 11% of the ruling Fidesz’s supporters consider Russia the main threat, whereas among those who do not vote for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party, the figure is 52%,” the Népszava reported.  

By contrast, 45% of Fidesz voters see Ukraine as the main threat to their country, whereas the number is 14% among supporters of other parties and undecided voters. 

The survey cited by Népszava also showed that about three-quarters of Hungarians do not trust Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.  

The survey by Pew Research Center also produced another interesting result, Népszava noted. In spite of Orbán’s anti-EU policies, 24% of Hungarians consider the bloc Hungary’s most important ally, closely followed by the U.S., with 23%.  

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Anti-Ukrainian campaign 

The Hungarian government strongly opposes Ukraine’s accession to the EU and has been criticizing Kyiv for “prolonging” the war with Russia.

What is more, the government carried out a non-binding referendum, dubbed a “national consultation,” in which it asked Hungarians how they felt about Ukraine’s accession to the EU, according to which 95% of those who voted were against Kyiv joining the bloc.  

Throughout the duration of the “consultation”, Hungarian authorities were conducting an anti-Ukrainian campaign.  

It should also be noted, however, that fewer than 2.3 million participated in the online and mail-in survey, which was held over a period of over three months (March 15 - June 20).

For comparison, more than 5.7 million out of some 8.2 million eligible voters participated in the most recent parliamentary election, held on April 3, 2022