LÍDIA BALOGH – BORBÁLA JUHÁSZ 2. WOMEN VOTERS IN HUNGARY As regards the current situation in Hungary, the data provided by the National Electoral Office in connection with the 2022 parliamentary elections did not reveal the gender composition of the electorate, only the total number of eligible voters, which stands at 8,215,304. 26 According to the data of the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the total population of Hungary on 1 January 2022 comprised 9,689,010 people, including 7,981,992 people over the age of 18, and among the latter, the distribution between males and females was 47.2–52.8%(3,768,052 – 4,213,940 people). 27 The population over 18 does not completely overlap with eligible voters – the 16–18 age group includes those who have been granted active voting rights due to majority acquired through marriage; and among those who have reached the age of 18, there are those who have been excluded from the right to vote because of a criminal record or because of limited mental capacity to appreciate. However, even after taking these factors into account, it is reasonable to assume that slightly more women than men are entitled to voting rights in Hungary today. In 2020, the Republikon Institute published an analysis which, among other things, examined gender divisions in terms of respondents’ ideological value choices, party preferences, and intentions to participate in the election – no measurable difference was found between men and women – and also examined respondents’ opinions on issues linked to the social situation of women and men(such as child rearing and women’s participation in the labour market). 30 One of the studies in a volume on gender equality, published in 2022, examined the acceptance/acceptability of sexism in public life from a social and psychological perspective. 31 As part of the information campaign related to the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary elections, financed by the American NGO National Democratic Institute(NDI), the survey conducted by Research Center 21 examined Hungarian women’s relationship to politics, and concluded, among other things, that“ most women in Hungarian society do not feel particularly discriminated against compared to men. It is only in terms of political representation, that a higher average value appears, showing that it is here Hungarian women feel a disadvantage stemming primarily from their gender”. 32 2.1. RESEARCH FOCUSING ON VOTERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF GENDER EQUALITY 2.2. GENERAL SURVEYS OF VOTERS Among studies of voters, research focusing on issues related to women and equality between women and men is relatively rare, but not unprecedented. One such study is the online(non-representative) survey from 2015, related to an‘election orientation’ initiative of the Andrássy University of Budapest and the Political Communication Network Vokskabin, 28 which asked respondents for their opinions on issues related to equal opportunities for women and men. According to the workshop study which presented the results, one of the most interesting findings was that men were in the majority among those filling out the questionnaire. Within the framework of the given research, one can only speculate as to why men showed significantly more interest in the issue of the social positions of the sexes; twice as many men as women completed the questionnaire via an article published on an online news portal. According to the researchers:“ This can probably be traced back to the effect on men of the photo advertising the article, which depicts two women kissing each other.” 29 A study 33 published in 2014 concluded, among other things, that women are less receptive to radical right­wing ideas(represented by Jobbik at the time), but sympathize with Fidesz to a greater extent than men. 34 The authors of a study published in 2015 found that “ radicalism in Hungary is more characteristic of men, and moderate political thinking is more typical of women”. 35 One of the studies in a volume published in 2018(related to the parliamentary elections) examined the social embeddedness and ideological division of the Hungarian electorate and stated“ the 2018 results – which showed a 10% increase in female support for Fidesz – mainly point to the existence of a conservative‘gender gap’, while in the case of Jobbik, the party continued to be supported overwhelmingly by men.” 36 The most relevant statement in a monograph published in 2019, which deals with the political thinking, political integration, and political participation of Hungarian society, is the following: “ Although previous research showed that public and 10