One third of Hungarians are anti-Semitic, according to new Medián poll

A poll commissioned by Hungary’s Action and Defense Foundation (Tett és Védelem Alapítvány – TEV), discovered that a third of all Hungarians and a staggering 41% of all Fidesz supporters hold anti-Semitic views. The poll was conducted by Medián, one of Hungary’s most prominent polling and research firms. The organization’s director, Endre Hann, presented the findings: 23% of adult Hungarians hold “strongly anti-Semitic” views, while an additional 12% are “moderately anti-Semitic.” When explored from the perspective of party supporters, 59% of Jobbik voters or sympathizers gravitate to antisemitism, while 41% of those who identify with Fidesz are anti-Semitic. The proportion of anti-Semites among Hungarians who vote for left-centre opposition parties is lower, but still at a level that gives cause for concern: among sympathizers of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), 24% were found to hold antisemitic views. This proportion is somewhat lower among those who gravitate to the Democratic Coalition (DK) and the Politics Can Be Different green party (LMP). In both case, the proportion stands at 18%.

Endre Hann explains his findings to TEV. Photo: MTI.

Endre Hann explains his findings to TEV. Photo: MTI.

Mr. Hann argues that the rise of Jobbik over the past six years has effectively legitimized antisemitism within Hungarian public discourse, making it somewhat more “acceptable” and also more common amongst “ordinary” Hungarians. According to Medián’s findings, the proportion of Hungarians who reject Jews purely out of an emotional response, not based on any concrete personal negative experience or specific information, increased from 23% to 26% over the past year.

A particularly important aspect of Mr. Hann’s study is that xenophobia towards other minorities is actually much higher than that displayed towards Jews. For instance, 71% of respondents indicated that they did not want to see Arabs living in their neighbourhood, while 68% would be unhappy if their neighbour was of the Roma minority. Additionally, 57% of respondents noted that they would rather not have a homosexual as a neighbour. In comparison, the proportion of Hungarians who would not want to live next to someone of Jewish origins stood at 31%.

The Medián poll was based on a representative pool of 1,200 respondents.

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