AUTHORS: ANDRÁS BÍRÓ-NAGY – TAMÁS CSONTOS – KRISTÓF MOLNÁR – ATTILA VARGA JUNE 2025 Several Policy Solutions surveys performed in recent years have shown a widespread demand for an active state and, as part of the latter, high-quality public services. The pileup of major crises in the 2020s – the health care crisis stemming from the Covid pandemic, followed by the economic crisis, along with the Russian-Ukrainian war and the massive concomitant energy crisis, runaway inflation and the cost-of-living crisis – has highlighted the question of the extent to which Hungarians can rely on the state and what kind of services they have access to when there is trouble afoot. Furthermore, the issue of public services has entered the political agenda with a newfound rigour in the past two years: in addition to the political debates we had already been accustomed to, news surrounding the state of health care and educational institutions, the problems with public transport and the issues plaguing child protection. Hence, it is very timely to survey how Hungarians assess the state of public services, what type of changes they have observed during the years of Viktor Orbán’s governance, 1

what their perception is of the key problems in the most vital public services, and the directions in which these could be reformed. In other words, this publication aims to assess the performance of the state as a provider of services. We will review which public services Hungarians are pleased with and which they tend to be dissatisfied with. Subsequently, we will review in detail what the most burning problems are in the three areas that are most often discussed in Hungarian public discourse, namely health care, education and transportation.We will further look at the commonly proposed policy solutions to the problems in these areas to gauge how much support each of these have. In light of the worsening cost-of-living crisis, we will devote a distinct chapter to the public support for social policies that could substantially reduce the burdens borne by citizens. On the whole, therefore, the objective of our research concerni ng the public’s opinion of public services is to shine a light on the areas where Hungarian expect more from the state, and to help lay the foundations and flesh out policy proposals that could improve public services in those areas where public demand is the greatest. Our partner in collecting the data for the present study was Závecz Research, with whom we administered a public opinion survey between 16-25 March 2025. As part of the survey, in-person interviews were conducted on a sample of 1,000 persons who were representative of the Hungarian adult population in terms of age, gender, educational attainment, and the type of municipality they reside in.The study was written with the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Budapest. The highest quality public services, according to Hungarians: energy, disaster management and fire brigades, waste management In the first segment of our survey, we asked respondents to assess the quality of 17 different public services(Figure 1). Among the public services listed, Hungarians in 2025 had the most positive view of energy services(49%), disaster management and fire brigades(48%), waste management(47%), as well as water services(46%) and sewage systems(45%). Although the same public services had ranked at the top in our survey three years ago, we have found changes in their ranking. In 2022, energy services came in fifth among the various public services, while in 2025, they topped the list.The public’s view of disaste r management and the fire brigades has been consistently high; these came in second after clinching the top spot in 2022. Waste disposal and management had tied for third place with sewage systems and wastewater treatment in 2022, while in 2025, the former came in third and the latter ranked fifth. Water services dropped to fourth place after their second place in 2022. While a third of the respondents(33%) are happy with the state of higher education, 31% said they were dissatisfied(and another 31% had a neutral stance). A third of respondents(33%) have a positive view of the quality of public transportation, while 34% of Hungarians have a bad impression of the latter and another 32% share a neutral assessment. Among the public services, Hungarians had the worst assessments of health care and the state of roads We found five public services concerning which there were far more dissatisfied than satisfied respondents. Thirty-nine percent took a negative view of the public media in Hungary, while 32% were satisfied with it(28% said it was neither good nor bad). Over 40% of Hungarians are dissatisfied with public education(41%) and the social welfare system(43%), while fewer than a third – 28% in the case of the former and 27% in the case of the latter – said these are of adequate quality. Health care and the condition of roads received the most negative assessments: for each of these, 58% said they are dissatisfied, while fewer than a fifth of 2

respondents – 19% and 18%, respectively – have positive views concerning these public services. Compared to our results three years ago, Hungarians perceive that the situation of public education has deteriorated the most(the proportion of dissatisfied respondents increased by 10 percentage points). At the same time, the assessment of health care(8 points), the social welfare system(7 points) and public media(8 points) have all deteriorated substantially. Figure 1 By contrast, the supporters of the ruling Fidesz party have a highly positive assessment of almost all public services. However, when it came to the most positively assessed areas, there is no difference between pro-government voters and the general public in terms of which they consider to be the best: waste management(79%), energy services(77%), disaster management(77%), water management(76%) and sewage systems and wastewater treatment(74%) all ranked in the top five on their list, all of them with a positive rating of over 70%. Their views also resembled those of the general public in that they were most likely to be unhappy with health care(which only 42% are satisfied with) and the condition of roads(also 42%). The views of Tisza Party voters were the complete opposite of those of Fidesz voters. In the case of Tisza voters, we identified only six policy areas that at least 20% consider to be of adequate quality: these are energy services(29%), waste management(26%), disaster management(26%), water management(25%), national defence and the military(25%), and sewage systems and wastewater treatment(23%). While even the most positively rated public service among Tisza Party voters, energy services, failed to break the 30 percent mark, among government party supporters, even the most poorly assessed areas, namely health care and the condition of roads, were rated positively by at least 40 percent. Almost three-quarters of Tisza Party voters(73%) said that the condition of roads was worrisome, and even more(79%) are concerned about the state of Hungarian health care. 3

Those without a party affiliation took an intermediate position between the supporters of the ruling party and Tisza Party voters: they have a positive view of some public services, but they are also critical in many cases. The following public services ranked in the top five of this demographic, with each scoring over 50 percent of positive responses: disaster management, energy services, waste management, water management, as well as sewage systems and wastewater treatment. However, the public services that ranked at the bottom of their list were overwhelmingly viewed negatively: the share of respondents in this category who consider the social welfare system, health care and the condition of roads to be of poor quality is far higher than the proportion of those who view these positively. Hungarian society is divided when it comes to its assessment of child protection The state of child protection in Hungary, and the problems in the child protection system have been an ongoing and major topic in Hungarian public discourse ever since the so-called pardon scandal (the pardoning of a former deputy head of a children’s home who had been convicted of abetting the paedophilic abuse of his boss), which led to the resignation of then- President Katalin Nová k. Consequently, we thought it would be important to examine Hungarians' views of this area in greater detail. The respondents are clearly divided: while one-third(32%) consider the situation of child protection to be good, 35% have a negative opinion, and another one-third(32%) took a neutral view. Despite the problems and scandals that have surfaced in this policy area, twothirds(63%) of pro-government voters spoke positively about the Hungarian child protection system, while only 9% believe that this area is in poor condition. By contrast, the absolute majority of Tisza (57%) and Democratic Coalition(50%) voters believe that immediate steps must be taken to improve the sector because of its poor quality. A relative majority of those without a party affiliation took a neutral stance(37%), while one-third(33%) said that the child protection system works well, and 27% think it is problematic. The quality of public administration, the armed forces and energy services have improved the most over the past 15 years Our research also examined which public services Hungarians believe have improved or deteriorated the most since 2010. Respondents were asked to select up to three of the 17 public service areas listed as the“candidates” for having improved the most(Figure 2). None of the areas was picked as the most improved by more than 20% of respondents. The implication is that none of the policy areas stand out from the rest in terms of being viewed as a success story by a substantial majority – or even a substantial minority – of Hungarians. Public administrative services received the most favourable assessment, as 17% of respondents ranked this as one of the areas with the most improvement. This is followed by national defence and the military(15%) and energy services(14%), coming in second and third place, respectively. At the bottom end of the list are environmental policies(6%), the condition of roads(6%) and health care(4%). National defence continues to rank at or near the top in terms of improvement: three years ago, this area had ranked first, and now it comes in second place. Public administrative services had ranked fourth in 2022, while in 2025, it became the public service that respondents were most likely to view as having improved under the Orbán governments since 2010. The issue of waste management also ranks consistently among the best performers in our surveys: three years ago, it had ranked second, while this year it is in fourth place. However, the preeminent position of energy services, as one of the top three areas that have improved, was new in 2025; previously, it tended to be in the bottom half of 4

the list. Another change is that while public education had occupied the last place in 2022, in 2025 it was clearly supplanted in the bottom position of the list by health care. Public safety was also mentioned slightly less often among the success stories in 2025: three years ago, it had been tied for second place with waste management, but in 2025 it came in only seventh among the areas that were considered to have improved. Figure 2 Among government party supporters, public administrative services came in first(26%), just as was the case concerning the general public. Public safety and the police came in second (18%). They were followed by public media(17%), which Fidesz voters considered the third most improved public service. Among Tisza Party voters, national defence and the military ranked first, but nevertheless, only 14% of respondents listed this among the three most improved public services. It is followed by public administrative services(13%). Disaster management and the fire brigade came in third place(11%). There are significant differences between Fidesz and Tisza Party voters when it comes to their respective assessments of some public services. A case in point are their respective assessments of public safety and the police: while 18% of Fidesz voters ranked this among the services that have improved the most(it came in second place for them), only 6% of Tisza voters saw the developments in this area in the same light, making this only the 11th ranked policy areas in terms of improvement for them. There is also a significant difference in their respective assessments of child protection: as compared to Fidesz supporters, Tisza voters were 10 percentage points less likely to rate this as one of the most improved areas of public services. The difference may owe in part to the fact that the political origins of the Tisza Party stem from the public outcry over the problems in the child protection system. We observed a similar difference(11 percentage points) in the assessment of the social welfare system as well. These significant differences demonstrate clearly that the two camps of voters perceive changes in the quality of public services very differently. 5

At the same time, the supporters of both major parties ranked the changes in public administrative services as one of the areas of policy areas that have improved the most. The widespread positive assessment probably owes to the introduction of the so-called‘ Government Windows’, which make it easier for citizens to take care of administrative issues, as well as the development of the e-governance system in Hungary, which has made everyday life easier for citizens in many ways. In the eyes of Hungarians, healthcare, road conditions, public education and the quality of the social welfare system have deteriorated the most under the Orbán governments We were also curious to find out which areas respondents felt had deteriorated the most over the past 15 years. Once again, participants were asked to select up to three of the 17 public services listed to indicate which they felt had deteriorated the most(Figure 3). The results clearly show the public’s perception of decline in the provision of state health care over the past 15 years: the majority of respondents(56%) believe that this is one of the public services that has deteriorated the most. This is followed by the condition of roads(36%), public education(23%) and the social welfare system(22%). These four stand out as policy areas concerning which a significant share of the public has perceived deterioration, while all other public services received far fewer mentions, in all cases below 10%. Figure 3 6

Comparing th is year’s data with the results of our 2022 survey, one of our findings is that there is not much of a change concerning the public services that are perceived to have deteriorated. Three years ago, too, health care, the social welfare system, and public education had topped the list of negative perceptions, suggesting that Hungarian society has perceived a persistent downward trend in these three areas during the Orbán governments. The condition of roads was included as a new item in our list in 2025, and it received twice as many mentions as it had when it was subsumed under the heading of the transport sector. With this high ratio of responses, the condition of roads ranked second in 2025, while in 2022, the area of “ transport(transport companies, roads)” was only fourth on the list of public services that the public saw as having deteriorated the most. Among Fidesz voters, health care came out on top of the negative list: 46% ranked it among the three most deteriorating areas of public services. This was followed by the condition of roads(34%), the social welfare system(18%) and public education(12%). Thus, the ranking of the last two areas mentioned is reversed as compared to the assessment of the general public. The biggest differences compared to the Hungarian public overall concern the assessment of health care(46% of the ruling party’s supporters selected this area, while 56% of the total population picked it) and public education(12% vs. 23%). Among Tisza Party voters, the top four most-selected policy areas are the same as for the public in general, but the percentages are much higher than the average. Sixty-four percent of Tisza supporters ranked health care among the three public service areas with the highest level of deterioration, followed by the condition of roads(33%), public education(31%) and the social welfare system(27%). Overall, the results show that the level of social consensus concerning the deterioration of public services is much higher than it was concerning the areas that are seen as having improved. Health care, road conditions, public education and the social welfare system all ranked in the top four in the assessments of both major parties' voters as well as the population overall. This clearly indicates that the population perceives the government's performance to be wanting in these four areas. Respondents were more likely to believe that a change in government would improve the quality of public services than to fear that it would lead to a deterioration A relative majority of Hungarians(43%) believe that a change of government would yield positive changes in the quality and operation of public services. By contrast, a quarter (26%) think that a change of government would worsen the situation, while another quarter(23%) perceive that a change of government would not result in any substantial changes. As one would expect, the different political groups each have very different takes on this issue. Fiftysix percent of those who support the O rbán government believe that ousting Fidesz would lead to a deterioration in the functioning of the various public services provided by the state, while a quarter(24%) believe that it would not change the situation. Even 16% of government supporters believe that after 15 years of Fidesz governance, only a new government could significantly improve the quality of public services. Tisza Party voters are particularly keen on the potential impact of changing Hungary’s leadership: 72% believe that a change of government would improve the current situation, while only 10% believe it would worsen it (13% believe it would not cause any significant change). A substantial majority of Democratic Coalition(62%) and Our Homeland(57%) voters also believe that this would improve public services, while a relative majority of those without a party affiliation(36%) believe that regardless of who is leading the government, there will be no major changes in the quality of state-provided services. How 7

divided those without a party preference are is reflected in the fact that a quarter(26%) believe public services would improve if the government led by Viktor Orbán were replaced by a new one, while 24% said it would worsen the current situation. The most serious problems in the education system, according to Hungarians: too few good teachers, the teaching staff is too old and the student workload is too high According to Hungarians, the most serious problem in public education is that there are not enough good teachers(31%). In addition to the perceived problems in the professional standards of teachers, the participants in the survey considered the average age of the teaching staff and the general shortage of teachers(29%), as well as the expansive scope of the school curriculum(27%), to be the biggest problems(Figure 4). Another common opinion is that the curriculum is outdated and schools do not prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century(24%). Many also mentioned the excessive workload of teachers and the lack of support staff(22-22%). Figure 4 8

In our research three years ago, the same five policy areas had ranked in the Top 5, albeit in a different order. Since 2022, the share of those who selected“ there are too few good teachers” moved from third place into the top spot, and even as the growing average age of teaching staff has remained the second among the most important concerns, excessive student workload has moved from fourth place into third place. Three years ago, teacher workload and the low pay for teachers – treated as a single category – had topped the list, but this year we asked about these two issues separately. Teachers' excessive workload was the fifth most frequently mentioned issue, while teachers' salaries ranked in the bottom half of the list(tied for tenth place). Among pro-government respondents, the three most frequently mentioned concerns were the same as the Top 3 concerns of the general public. At the same time, a significantly higher proportion of them viewed the lacking professionalism of teachers as the most important problem(41%), while the problems of an ageing teaching profession and teacher shortages, as well as student workload, were mentioned at rates close to the average(30% and 27%). According to Tisza Party voters, however, the most serious problem is that the Hungarian education system fails to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century(33%). This was followed by roughly equal proportions of respondents citing teacher shortages and an ageing profession(28%), student workload(27%), a lack of support staff(26%) and the dearth of good teachers(25%). According to those without party affiliation, the biggest problems are the shortage of good teachers(32%), student workload(31%), an ageing teaching profession and the shortage of teachers(28%). The majority believe that the first higher education diploma should be tuition-free, that the mandatory minimum age of education should be raised back to 18 years and that it would be better if educational institutions were controlled by municipal governments rather than the state The majority of participants agreed with the statement that the state should provide free education for all Hungarian citizens until they obtain their first higher education degree(84%). A similarly high proportion of participants believe that sex education should be provided in all schools(81%). A narrower but still significant majority agree that local curricula should replace the centralised national core curriculum(74%) and that the current compulsory school age of 16 should be raised to 18 years(73%) as it had been previously. Respondents see the need for greater local autonomy not only with respect to the compilation of educational curricula but also with respect to school district management: 69% believe that local governments would be better managers of educational institutions than the state currently is. Over two-thirds would also agree with rescinding the restrictions that make it impossible for the CEU to operate in Hungary(68%). At the same time, the majority of participants did not agree(54% vs. 42%) with higher levels of state support for church-run educational institutions compared to state schools. Only among pro-government respondents does a majority(57% vs. 41%) believe it is right for the government to provide more support for students attending ecclesiastical schools than for those attending state schools. Those who disagree are in the majority in all opposition groups: Tisza Party voters tend to be the most critical of this government policy(63%), but a rejection of extra funding for church-run schools is also the majority opinion among voters of the Democratic Coalition(55%), Our Homeland(53%) and those without a party affiliation(56%). 9

The most serious problems in health care according to Hungarians: long waiting lists and the lack of qualified professionals According to our respondents, the most pressing problem in health care is that waiting lists are too long(43%, Figure 5). Many also believe that there are not enough health care workers(37%), and the lack of competent health care professionals is also a problem (31%). Many respondents also listed the poor physical condition of hospitals(24%), the difficulty of health care administration(21%) and the excessive workload of health care workers(20%) among the most serious problems, followed by the lack of accessible health care and diagnostic tools(19%-19%). In 2022, the most frequently mentioned problems were the shortage of health care workers and excessively long hospital waiting lists, which received the same proportion of mentions. In 2025, the share of respondents who said waiting lists were a bigger issue than the shortage of health care professionals is six percentage points higher. Similar to our survey three years ago, the response that ranked third place this year was that there are too few highly qualified health care professionals. Figure 5 Looking at the data by party preferences, we find that in this context the opinions are fairly similar across the partisan divides. This further reinforces the overall picture that the dividing lines between party camps are largely not based on the public’s everyday experience with public services. According to respondents who support the ruling party, the most serious problems are excessively long waiting lists(39%), a shortage of health care workers (36%) and the lack of good health care professionals(29%). Supporters of the Tisza Party also consider excessively long hospital waiting lists to be the most serious problem(45%), followed by a shortage of health care workers(39%) and the lack of good health care professionals(33%). 10

The most popular health care policy proposals: taxpayers should be able to use their social security contributions to pay private providers, more mobile screening centres should be available in poorer municipalities, and vaccinations should be free With respect to health care, we also asked the survey respondents what they thought about certain policy proposals that have been made in Hungarian public discourse in recent years. Among the statements listed, the highest level of agreement(85%) concerned the statement that if the health care system is unable to treat a patient within a short period, then social security should pay for private health care services. A similarly high proportion of respondents agreed that mobile screening points should be used to bring health care screening to underprivileged communities(83%). Four-fifths of respondents also said that optional vaccinations should be available free of charge(81%), nurses' salaries should be significantly increased(80%), and participation in screening should be encouraged by giving those who use them a day off from work(78%). Threequarters of respondents(76%) agreed with the statement that private health care services are essential if one wishes to recover from a condition in Hungary today. In line with the previous thought, 70% believe that the government's neglect of health care contributes to the rise of private providers. Nearly every second Hungarian has already used private health services, and two-thirds of them have experienced an increase in their spending on private health services during the past year Almost half of the Hungarian public have already used private health care services(45% yes, 54% no). The highest proportion of respondents who reported this were Tisza Party and Our Homeland(53-53%) voters, while the supporters of the ruling party were the least likely to say so (35%). When we examine the responses by age, we find that the proportion of those who have used private health care services is significantly lower among pensioners(36%), while the proportions are almost identical(ranging between 48% and 50%) in all younger age groups. In terms of educational attainment, we found a clear correlation between the likely financial situation of respondents and the use of private health care services, that is those with higher educational attainment were more likely to be able to afford – and in fact use – private health care services(those with up to 8 years of elementary education: 32%, those with vocational school training: 43%, secondary school graduates: 46%, those with higher education attainment: 56%). We asked those who had already used private health care services how their spending on such services has changed over the past year. Based on the responses of our participants, there has been an obvious surge in private health care spending: 67% reported that their spending on private health care had increased in the past year. The voters of the Tisza Party and the Democratic Coalition reported increases in excess of the average, while supporters of Fidesz and Our Homeland reported below-average increases in their spending on private health care services over the past year. 11

The main problems in transportation: high petrol prices, the condition of roads and train delays In order to assess the state of the Hungarian transport system, we asked respondents about 13 statements relating to various transportation-related issues. The highest level of agreement concerned two issues related to road transport: high petrol prices and poor road conditions. Seventy-nine percent of respondents agree that petrol prices are too high in Hungary, while 75% believe that the quality of roads is poor. Furthermore, over two-thirds of respondents(68%) believe that the motorway fees are too high. A substantially narrower majority (57%) agree that there are not enough motorways in Hungary.This suggests that the size of the road network is less of an issue than the quality and accessibility(e.g. petrol prices, motorway fees) of roads. Hungarian society also has many issues with the public transportation system. Seventy-two percent of respondents agree that trains are often late, while 68% believe that the railway infrastructure is in poor condition.This is followed by the poor condition of train stations(66%). Furthermore, 64% believe that the quality of railway carriages is poor, and the same percentage consider the lack of coordination between rail and bus transport to be a problem. At the same time, fewer respondents, 57%, said that rail and bus tickets are too expensive; this lower percentage probably owes to the impact of the recently introduced county and national seasonal ticket system. Only a minority of respondents(40%) said that online ticketing options are inadequate. Our results suggest that neither affordability nor digital access are seen by the Hungarian public as the major problem areas when it comes to public transportation. Instead, respondents tended to be concerned about punctuality, quality and the state of the infrastructure. Seventy-one percent of pro-government voters believe that petrol prices are too high, 67% of them say that the quality of roads is poor, and 53% consider motorway tolls to be too expensive. Furthermore, the majority of Fidesz voters agree that trains are often late(53%), that the condition of the railway infrastructure is poor(51%), and that railway stations tend to be in poor condition(also 51%). At the same time, Tisza Party voters were more likely to be concerned about trains being late(85%) than about high petrol prices(83%). Beyond that, however, the ranking of problems among Tisza Party voters is largely consistent with the assessment of the Hungarian public overall.The responses of those without a party affiliation are also in line with the results of the general public: high petrol prices(77%) and poor road conditions(74%) are at the top of their list as well. There is a cross-party consensus that road upgrades, railway repairs, and the better coordination of rail and bus transportation are the three top priorities for development in the area of transportation The Hungarian public believe that the three most important priorities in the area of transportation are improving road quality(51%), the condition of railway tracks(31%) and the coordination of rail and bus transport(29%, Figure 6). The top three areas were followed by reducing train delays(28%) and launching more rail services(25%). It is interesting to note that although many respondents were dissatisfied with the condition of railway stations, only 12% said that renovating these should be among the top three development goals. Another striking finding is that only 17% consider the construction of new motorways to be a priority development area. This suggests that the population would prefer the improved maintenance and 12

repair of the existing road network and investments into the development of the infrastructure and operation of public transportation. Figure 6 Overall, there is a relatively high level of agreement in Hungarian society concerning the main directions of developing the policy area of transportation. Regardless of party preference, improving the quality of roads is considered the most important issue. In the area of public transportation, improving the condition of railway tracks, reducing train delays and a better coordination of rail and bus transport are considered particularly important. These are the areas where social dissatisfaction was highest and where public policy intervention seems most needed. Three-quarters of Hungarians are opposed to privatising railway stations According to plans published by the government at the end of 2024, railway stations in Budapest and several other cities would be transferred into private ownership for concession periods of 99 years, with the aim of attracting private capital to accelerate real estate development. Our survey also assessed the level of public support for this idea. The results show a clear rejection across the partisan divide. Seventy-four percent of the total population disagree with the proposal, while only 16% support it. Even 64% of Fidesz voters reject the idea, with only 25% supporting it. The level of rejection is even higher among opposition supporters: 79% of Tisza Party, 81% of Democratic Coalition and 73% of Our Homeland voters disagree with the plan. Among those without a party affiliation, the rejection rate is 76%, almost the same figure as the public overall. 13

The most popular social policies concern measures that provide relief from the impact of the energy and housing crises In the final section of our research, we examined Hungarians' opinions on social issues. The overwhelming majority of Hungarians strongly endorse the idea of the state allocating massive resources to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock(88%). There is also significant public support for a ban on the providers shutting off basic utilities of any Hungarian household during the winter season(87%), as well as for a comprehensive municipal and state-provided public housing programme(87%). Four out of five Hungarians would welcome wage increases for social workers(85%), adjusting pensions for inflation and real wage increases(the so-called mixed indexing)(83%), and measures to eliminate period poverty(80%). At the same time, a two-thirds majority(64%) would prefer to increase family tax allowances(which primarily benefit the middle and upper-middle classes) rather than raising family allowances(which tend to benefit the poor), while 32% were opposed to this. Furthermore, the absolute majority of Hungarians consider a three-month cap on unemployment benefits to be sufficient(59%). We also asked two questions looking in greater detail at the Hungarian government's social policy outlook. Fifty- six percent of Hungarians believe that the Orbán government's family support system mainly benefits poorer families, while 41% believe it benefits the wealthy. While over three-quarters(77%) of government party supporters believe that the existing housing schemes favour the poor, 52% of Tisza Party voters believe that wealthier families benefit more(46% of them believe that the system favours the poor). There is also significant division among those without a party affiliation: 49% in this demographic believe that the poorer strata benefit more from Fidesz’s family support policies, while 48% believe that the wealthier gain more. The more educated a Hungarian citizen is, the less likely they are to believe that the family support system helps the poor. Hungarians are also divided on the government's efforts to eliminate poverty: while 48% believe that the Orbán government is doing everything it can, 49% disagree with this statement. Almost three-quarters of Fidesz supporters(74%) believe that the Hungarian government is doing everything it can to eradicate poverty, while the vast majority of the respective voters of Our Homeland(67%), the Tisza Party(65%) and the Democratic Coalition(58%) disagree with this assessment. Fifty-two percent of those without party affiliation also view the issue negatively, but 42% acknowledge the government's efforts. Those with no more than eight years of elementary education(54%) are more likely to appreciate what the government does in this area than those with vocational or technical school qualifications(45%), secondary school(48%) or higher education graduates(45%). 14

ABOUT THE AUTHORS András Bíró-Nagy is the director of Policy Solutions. He is also Senior Research Fellow at HUNREN Centre for Social Sciences, and Board Member of the Hungarian Political Science Association. Tamás Csontos is a political analyst at Policy Solutions. Hi is also Junior Research Fellow at HUNREN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies. Kristóf Molnár is a political analyst at Policy Solutions. Currently, he is pursuing an MA in Public Policy and Management at Corvinus University of Budapest. Attila Varga is a political analyst at Policy Solutions. He is currently studying Survey Statistics and Data Analysis at Eötvös Loránd University. IMPRINT Rate your state 2025 – How do Hungarians see the quality of public services? © Policy Solutions, 2025 Responsible for Content and Editing: András Bíró-Nagy Data Collection: Závecz Research Graphic Design: WellCom Studio Publisher: Policy Solutions, 1065 Budapest, Révay utca 10., Hungary, E-mail: info@policysolutions.hu The research underlying this publication was supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The views expressed in this publication reflect the authors' own views, which are not necessarily those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). 15