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Young Hungarians dissatisfied with mainstream parties

June 23rd, 2015

A conservative columnist, commenting on a recent survey, warns that university students are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the mainstream Left and Right, and are turning to more radical parties.

Earlier in June, the Active Youth Research Group published its yearly report on Hungarian university students. As in previous years, the main parties of both Left and Right had lower support among university students than in the general population. According to the latest report, 20 per cent of university students support Jobbik and 14 per cent LMP. Fidesz stands at 12 per cent, Together at 4, MSZP at 3 and the Democratic Coalition at 2 per cent. 47 per cent of students (a 5 per cent increase from last year) said that democracy is the best political system, while 21 contended that dictatorship is better in certain cases. Jobbik supporters were the most sceptical about the benefits of democracy.

The main right-wing and left-wing parties cannot connect with young Hungarians, György Pápay comments on the survey in Magyar Nemzet. The increase in the popularity of  Jobbik and the LMP indicates that young Hungarians are fed up with mainstream parties both on Left and Right, and turn to those that promise major changes, the conservative columnist notes. While the decline of the left-wing parties is not a new phenomenon, the weakening of Fidesz shows that the governing party should pay more attention to the needs of upwardly mobile young Hungarians, he suggests. Although it is unlikely that Fidesz could fast improve the job market for young graduates, it should at least try to use a more pro-youth language, Pápay concludes.

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