Hungary has highest support for Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe

Hungarian society is ready to continue to support people fleeing the war in Ukraine and does not believe that the funds spent on Ukrainians should be redirected to its own citizens.

This is evidenced by a study carried out by the authoritative Slovak analytical organization GLOBSEC, Yevropeiska Pravda reports.

The organization commissioned a representative sociological study in eight countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. It showed that in those countries where citizens are most willing to support Ukrainians, this does not coincide with the public image of the governments of these countries.

For example, Hungary, which is perceived by Ukrainians as the most hostile EU state due to the openly pro-Russian policy of the Orban government, was the most supportive of refugees. 90% of Hungarians agreed with the statement that "we should continue to support refugees from Ukraine because they are fleeing the war."

In addition, in Hungary, the delta between this level of support and the share of those who believe that "refugees from Ukraine receive support at the expense of our citizens, the weaker and more socially vulnerable, who need it more" is the largest (only 41%, one of the lowest levels in the region).

Latvia, Poland and Lithuania are next, with a noticeable gap to Hungary, with 79-82% of those willing to support Ukrainians. At the same time, in Lithuania and Poland, 50-52% of citizens are dissatisfied with the fact that this support is provided at the expense of reduced funding for Lithuanians and Poles, respectively.

In three countries in the region - Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria - the number of dissatisfied people is higher than the level of support. The worst situation is in Bulgaria with a level of 71%/52%.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 05/06/2023