Hungarian Citizens Research Articles

When Crisis Unfolds: Relative Deprivation and Populist Attitudes in Hungary

Abstract The demand side of populism has been in the scope of social scientists since the early 2010s. Since then, ample scholarly evidence has suggested that populist attitudes are strongly tied to the feeling of relative deprivation. Our study’s focal point revolves around the above findings and focuses on Hungary, a country where populism flourishes. This study analyses the possible connections between the populist attitudes of Hungarian citizens and their feelings of relative deprivation using a representative sample (n = 994). Regression analyses revealed that relative deprivation is a significant predictor of populist attitudes in Hungary regardless of age, sex, and education.

Patterns of guild migration in the early modern period: Lessons from a comparative study of young artisans' migration and university peregrination

AbstractGuild migration in Hungary in the 16th to 18th centuries can be best captured by exploring the migration of young artisans. Peregrination and the migration of young artisans were a process of learning and making contacts in a foreign environment over several years. We will be looking at the life, tasks, objectives and, not least, knowledge acquisition and career strategy of one age group, young men roughly between the ages of 16–20, who in the early modern period were the main depositories of local economic and political power in Europe, including the territories of the former Kingdom of Hungary – especially in the towns – and who were entering local economic and political power after half a decade or so of studying.This highly mobile way of acquiring knowledge abroad through university and guild migration provided an experience of leaving the familiar home base. What these young men had in common was that their learning process took place in a foreign territory, far away from their home, in the unfamiliar environment of another country, using a different language. In the case of both groups of learners, the existence of a network of family ties, which can be traversed in several directions, proved to be a key organising factor. This link between the – mainly German-speaking – urban and rural citizens in Western Europe and the Hungarian (and Transylvanian) citizens in the early modern period was always evident in the guild organisation, both economically and culturally.

Bekesy’s Hearing Theory

Georg von Békésy (1899-1972), as a Hungarian citizen, was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his experiments in Hungary (1923-1946) “for his discoveries of the physical mechanisms of stimulation within the cochlea”. The most significant element of Békésy’s oeuvre is the observation and description of the mechanical processes in the inner ear and the creation of a new theory on the nature of hearing. He was the first to produce a model that truly resembles the inner ear. His success is due to detailed studies on the constituents of the cochlea and a large number of measurements. It is also very important to identify how the mechanism of neural inhibition in the ear contributes to the distinction of “signal” from “noise”. For Békésy, the biophysical approach was decisive, and he connected the three sense organs (ear, skin, eye) with each other. In his oeuvre, he also combined his research in physics, communications and medicine, as well as his scientific work with art.

Obstacles with Ethics in Resuscitation with Several Comorbidities

Georg von Békésy (1899-1972), as a Hungarian citizen, was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his experiments in Hungary (1923-1946) “for his discoveries of the physical mechanisms of stimulation within the cochlea”. The most significant element of Békésy’s oeuvre is the observation and description of the mechanical processes in the inner ear and the creation of a new theory on the nature of hearing. He was the first to produce a model that truly resembles the inner ear. His success is due to detailed studies on the constituents of the cochlea and a large number of measurements. It is also very important to identify how the mechanism of neural inhibition in the ear contributes to the distinction of “signal” from “noise”. For Békésy, the biophysical approach was decisive, and he connected the three sense organs (ear, skin, eye) with each other. In his oeuvre, he also combined his research in physics, communications and medicine, as well as his scientific work with art.

NEGOCIERILE BILATERALE ROMÂNO MAGHIAREPRIVIND TRECEREA FRONTIEREI (1945-949)

The Romanian-Hungarian border after the end of the Second World War was one of the priorities of the Petru Groza government at the Paris Peace Conference in 1946. The border before the Conference benefited from additional protection from the Romanian authorities to prevent the illegal crossing of the border by the Hungarians. Even after the ratification of the Peace Treaty in 1947, there were incidents on the Romanian-Hungarian border. Due to the fact that at the beginning the Romanian-Hungarian border did not benefit from official recognition by international bodies, surveillance was mainly done through security and defense missions, with the exception of the border with the USSR. In 1944, in Northern Transylvania, the Soviets began an extensive border surveillance activity. Soviet military rule was maintained from November 1944 to March 1945, with the coming to power of a pro-Soviet government led by Dr. Petru Groza. Also, while the Soviet leadership controlled Northern Transylvania, they made provisions for the Border Guard Corps, which was significantly reduced. From a number of 44,000 in 1944 to 12,000 in April 1945. The Frontier Police also underwent permanent restructuring, coming under the supervision of the Allied Control Commission. In order to avoid illegal border crossing, we will see throughout this article that Romania has taken special measures to prevent this. This caused discontent among Hungarian citizens living in Hungary, as they were subjected to a series of bureaucratic procedures that made it difficult for them to come to Romania. In 1946, the Border Troops Command belonging to the Ministry of National Defense was established. The pedantic problems between Romania and Hungary regarding this aspect were dealt with within the Ministry of the Interior. The numerous problems caused by crossing the border determined the creation of a mixed Romanian-Hungarian delegation to discuss and lay the foundations for a convention in order to solve the existing problems. The first convention aimed to settle the points being accepted by both parties. Later, the Hungarian side requested the reinstatement of the Convention for Small Border Traffic with Hungary from 1931, which, however, was not accepted by the Romanian state. On November 25, 1947, with the arrival of the Hungarian delegation in Romania, a Protocol was signed. Point 3 of it referred to the issue of movement of people who have property in both countries. Transit visas were also on the agenda of the discussions. The two delegations held numerous negotiations between 1945-1949, but which did not lead to the definitive stop of the fraudulent crossing of the border with Romania.

Helping the forcely displaced persons - situation in Hungary

AbstractIn recent years, the state-funded side of the Hungarian psychiatric system has been struggling with a serious lack of resources. During the pandemic the level of organization, which was also not perfect, continued to deteriorate. Immediately after the breakout of Ukrainian war the civilians started to make significant efforts to support refugees. From the beginning our Association joined activities of Solidarity Network organized by EPA. We made efforts among other things to find Ukrainian-speaking psychiatrists to tackle the language barriers, connect the needs with the offers psychologists. When a refugee is admitted to a psychiatric unit as a patient, they receive all mental health care as any Hungarian citizen would. Overall however, mental care is insufficiently organized and the patient pathways for refugees - as those of the population - are not well-defined. The coordination between government services and civil organizations helping refugees is unsatisfactory. There is no steady support system that could provide regular, professional mental health care for those in need, thus a mental triage process is also missing to uncover the perhaps less severe mental problems, that nevertheless might require professional attention. Consequently there also seems to be a lack of assistance in trauma processing. There are some official civil organizations (e.g. Maltese Charity Service, Hungarian Red Cross) that are doing all they can for the refugees, but most of their staff is not professionally equipped to provide mental health care or to reliably identify when it is needed. When refugees show symptoms of a severe nature (psychosis, mania, severe depression, suicidal thoughts) they reach out to the professional mental health care system, but refugees struggling with less obvious mental health problems generally stay out of sight of professional psychiatric or psychological care.Keywordscivilian efforts, unmet needs, lack of human resourceDisclosure of InterestNone Declared

Развитие вооруженных сил и оборонно-промышленного комплекса Венгрии: стратегия правительства В. Орбана

The article examines Hungary’s modernization of Armed Forces and expansion of the capabilities of the country’s defence-industrial complex (DIC). Using the neorealistic paradigm, the author analyzes the main directions in which the Hungarian army and the MIC developed during the leadership of the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The 10-year development program of the Hungarian Defence Forces – Zrínyi – involves a significant increase in their capabilities by 2026. Official plans to expand and modernize the DIC include the target to make the Hungarian state one of the leaders of the defense industry in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by 2030. The main partners in this area are going to be companies not only from the member states of the European Union (Germany, France and the Czech Republic), but also from Turkey and Israel. Reforming the army and increasing the technological level of the DIC are primarily aimed at strengthening the country’s economy and protecting the state borders and Hungarian citizens both in Hungary itself and in Ukraine, in Transcarpathia. At the same time, the Prime Minister V. Orbán is confident that NATO’s actions can only be aimed at self-defense. This is related to the refusal of the Hungarian authorities to supply weapons to Kiev. However, Hungary is not only strengthening mechanized troops (German Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, Turkish Gidrán armored personnel carriers), the country’s Air Force (Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft) and Air Defense (Norwegian–American NASAMS anti-aircraft missile complex), but also, reflecting on the experience of the conflict in Ukraine, returns to the use of artillery, considers the possibility of producing drones and more ammunition on its territory, and also wants to increase the offensive potential of its Armed Forces thanks to modern multiple rocket launchers like HIMARS. Despite the fact that Hungary, according to V. Orbán, is on the side of the ‘peace party’, in the future, as part of NATO in the CEE region, there will be a modernized army with a proper defence-industrial complex, ready for a ‘new generation’ conflict. The Hungarian political opposition in turn advocates for military assistance to Ukraine and curtailing relations with Russia, while being actively encouraged by the United States.

The Future has Begun?

The Conference on the Future of Europe, launched by the European Union in 2021, aimed to engage citizens in a dialogue and serve as a key platform for EU institutions to discuss the future direction of the European Union. Hungary actively participated in the process, and the objective of our study is to shed light on the contributions of Hungarian citizens and the conclusions drawn from them. The study also explores the post-Conference landscape, tracing the evolution of the proposals arising directly or indirectly from the debates on the future of Europe, with a reflection to their possible implications on the revision of the EU Treaties.

Disinformation, Ideas without Borders, and the War in Ukraine

Disinformation, Ideas without Borders, and the War in Ukraine

사회주의 체제전환 이후 헝가리 재외 국민 정책 연구

The issue of overseas Hungarian citizens arose as a result of World War I and World War II. Hungarians living in the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the First World War were unintentionally 'foreigners' due to the end of World War I with the defeat of Hungary and the establishment of subsequent countries following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Hungary's overseas citizens problem is a complicated in which the political interests of the Allied Powers and allies, and the victorious and defeated countries are at stake. Hungary's overseas national policy has no choice but to consider complex aspects. Moreover, the situation in Hungary after Hungary became communist in 1949 became a factor that made it impossible to carry out the Hungarian policy for overseas citizens normally. Hungary's policies for foreigners residing abroad are largely divided into the communist period and the post-communist period. During the communist period, the Hungarian government recognized that the problems of Hungarian overseas residents and ethnic minorities were individual issues of the country in which the Hungarians reside, that is, internal issues within the scope of their sovereignty.

Who would and who would not become a living kidney donor?

"Introduction: Living donor transplantation is a more and more frequent medical intervention. Beyond the medical issues, living organ donation raises psychosocial questions about the donors and their motivation. Objective: Our aim was to reveal the attitude, knowledge and beliefs regarding living kidney donation. Moreover to reveal the main determining factors of living donation willingness, such as relatedness to the recipient, personality traits, personal values, well-being and purpose in life. Method: The cross-sectional study included 571 Hungarian citizens. The online questionnaire included questions regarding the attitude, knowledge and beliefs, and the Schwartz Value Survey, the Big Five Inventory, the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and the Purpose in Life questionnaire. Results: The majority of the participants would donate their kidney alive to relatives and friends, the fewest people would not donate at all, and 16.8% of the participants would donate even to a stranger. Most participants knew (71.8%) that kidney is the most often transplanted organ and also most often donated alive. Willingness to donate alive showed significant association with the relatedness (r = 0.187), personal values (Self-transcendence) (r = 0.208), and weak association with the knowledge (r = 0.104). The association was significant between knowledge and beliefs about the donors (r = –0.352, r = 0.136). Based on the multiple linear regression analysis, the personal value (Selftranscendence) (β = 0.218) and the negative belief that donors have a worse state of health after donation (β = –0.207), are weak, significant predictors of willingness to donate kidney alive. Discussion: The intention to become a living kidney donor is associated with the beliefs, which are connected to the knowledge, and the knowledge is associated with the relatedness. Moreover the willingness to become a living donor is associated with the good intention, the desire to help others and social responsibility. Conclusion: The knowledge and the factors of personal values, such as good intention and social responsibility, play a main role in the intention to become a living donor."

Investigation Of Sporting Habits and the Attitudes Related to Physical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Several domestic and international studies confirm the benefits of regular sports activities regarding healthy attitudes (Földesiné, 2008; Shephard et al., 2013). On the one hand, our research aimed to survey sporting habits (with a special focus on the impacts of the Coronavirus epidemic on physical activities). On the other hand, we investigated the participants’ attitudes regarding daily physical education classes. In the course of our research, we conducted a representative data recording among Hungarian citizens 18 years old or above (n = 1015) regarding gender, age, education level, and type of habitation. The vast majority (71%) of the surveyed population is not involved in any kind of sports activities (which corresponds with the outcomes of previous investigations), however, in this aspect, the impacts of COVID-19 are marginal. Sports activities are most typical to males with a higher level of education, who reside in larger cities. The most popular sports activities are running/jogging (36.3%), cycling (16.6%), and soccer (16.2%). The opinions regarding daily physical education classes are rather positive: the majority consider the increased number of PE classes a useful development. These opinions are held mainly by those who either are active in sports or who live in Budapest. A quintessential part of life in the COVID-19 pandemic, healthier lifestyles could certainly benefit from quality physical and sports education. If this quality is further improved, it may also dispel some of the negative ideas about sporting habits.

Basic Income: Opportunity or Problem?

There has been an increase in debate over universal basic income in recent years, mostly related to the different welfare measures introduced in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, and because of the increasing relevance of labor market automation. In this study, our objective is to evaluate the attitudes of Hungarian citizens towards basic income, with a focus on its feasibility, as well as positive and negative effects. In order to accomplish this, we analyzed relevant international literature to draw up a questionnaire from studies, while also looking at background variables that potentially influence an individual’s attitude towards basic income. Results show that Hungarian citizens rather disagree about the feasibility of a basic income scheme in Hungary but they are a lot more agreeable with the EU-s capability to provide one (18.4% compared to 52%, respectively. Regarding its possible positive impacts, the most frequently mentioned items include reducing anxiety about financing basic needs, helping people return to education, and offsetting the effects of automation, while concerns about the idea of not being researched and tested enough, its effects on inflation, and its possible work-discouraging nature were listed as the most relevant negative effects.

When Ideology Matters More – Science and Vaccine Scepticism in Light of Political Ideologies and Partisanship during the Third COVID-19 Wave in Hungary1

Abstract As for the mitigation of the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the related crisis, governments should inter alia facilitate the willingness to vaccinate. However, related discussions became politicised, especially in countries with an extremely high level of partisan polarisation in opinions and media discourses, like in Hungary, which is the selected case of our study. As previous research about the United States shows, general trust in science is also influenced by the ideological alignment of individuals – people with conservative identification are more likely to question scientific results and recommendations, considering global warming, or the characteristics of the pandemic and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. In our study we examine two main questions: first, whether the ideological orientation and partisan alignment of Hungarian citizens influence their general trust in science, and second, whether the same factors influence their opinion on scientists’ ability to develop effective vaccines against the coronavirus. Furthermore, we also investigate whether media consumption habits might influence these interrelations. According to the results of the representative online survey, the more conservative someone in Hungary identifies, the more likely they will be sceptical in terms of both questions. However, support of government or opposition parties does not determine whether they believe in the ability of scientists to develop effective vaccines, and it is influenced by their media consumption habits. We showed that (1) opposition supporters are much more different along their preferred media source than government supporters, (2) television watchers are of the same opinion independent of their party preference and (3) social media consumers are generally more likely to reject scientific results. The phenomenon that supporters of the conservative government and of the alliance of opposition parties are different in terms of their media consumption is a surprising finding in the polarised Hungarian context. We provide two main explanations for this. First, it is most probably the consequence of the government’s intensive campaign that encouraged vaccination. Second, the government used the issue of vaccination as a source of legitimacy regarding the effectiveness of their crisis management.

COVID-19 vaccination coverage in deprived populations living in segregated colonies: A nationwide cross-sectional study in Hungary.

The segregated colonies (SCs) in Hungary are populated mainly but not exclusively by Roma. Their health care use is restricted in many respects. It has not been studied yet, whether fair COVID-19 vaccination coverage achieved in Hungary is accompanied with fair effectiveness in SCs. Using census data, the vaccination coverage in SCs and the complementary areas (CAs) in the same settlements of the country was determined. To describe the settlement level differences, the vaccination coverage (until June 30, 2021) in SCs were compared to those in CAs by age, sex, and eligibility for exemption certificate standardized measures. Aggregating settlement level data, the level of geographic discrimination in Hungary was also determined. According to nationwide aggregates, crude vaccination coverage was significantly lower in SCs (40.05%, 95% CI 39.87%-40.23%) than in CAs (65.42%, 95% CI 65.37%-65.46%). The relative standardized vaccination coverage was 0.643 (95% CI 0.639-0.647) in SCs. A total of 437 of the 938 investigated settlements showed significant local vaccination disparities. Hungarian citizens living in SCs, mainly of Roma ethnicity, are a distinct high-risk group. Special intervention adapted to SCs is needed to mitigate inequality in vaccination coverage and further consequences of the pandemic.

Factor analysis of the personality dimensions of sales associates in the finance and insurance sector

The aim of the present study is to ascertain the factors of a sample containing 1000 people from the finance and insurance sector via the shortened version of the California Psychological Inventory probing the respective personality dimensions. The additional objectives include the comparison of previously identified results and factors obtained on a standardised Hungarian sample. In light of the above, I forward the following hypothesis H1): The number and content of the factors explored by the S-CPI (principal component analysis) on the present sample significantly differs from that of the number and content of factors identified and arrived at during the 1985 standardisation process, mainly due to the impact of the following dimensions: Sociability, Social presence, Dominance, and Self-Control. The practical application of the respective research results indicates a difference between the personality of the average Hungarian citizen and that of the average sales associates in the given sectors.

THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION OF 1956 IN THE KGB DOCUMENTS: THE CASE OF TWO ARCHIVES

The article deals with the general analysis of documents on the history of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which are in the Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Archive of Transcarpathian Oblast. It is the first attempt to show the documents about the deportation of Hungarian citizens to the Soviet Union and to present the reactions of the local Transcarpathian Hungarian nation to the events of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and it also highlights the actions of the authorities that were aimed at the purposeful total ideological control and thus influenced the formation of the general public’s opinion about the surrounding events. The main aim of the study is to show the deportations of the Hungarian revolutionists to the Soviet Union in 1956 through archival documents and to introduce the political leaflet distributor groups in Transcarpathia, which were formed during the Hungarian war of independence in 1956. There are archival documents containing different data about the behavior of the Hungarian population in Transcarpathia related to the Hungarian events. The documents also provide information about the punishments that concerned the Hungarian groups engaged in politics. These documents reveal that the political general headquarters in Uzhhorod had been operating for a long time after Hungary was invaded by the command of Moscow. It is possible to argue that the process of exploring the sources relating to the retaliation after the revolution of 1956 has not been finished yet, there are still hundreds of archival documents, mainly in Ukraine and in the former Soviet Union Archives, which still need to be explored. However, besides getting to know the real facts of the history of the Revolution in 1956, it is important to perceive that, despite the oppression, there were people in Transcarpathia too, who dared to be brave, to believe, and protest. And there were ones who paid with their lives for justice. Because of participating in the revolution, many people were arrested, sentenced, imprisoned, deported, and executed. Their truth and role should be clarified.

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Hungary: Epidemiology, symptoms and signs

Abstract Background In December 2019, pneumonia caused by coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Currently, COVID-19 has spread worldwide. In accordance with the restrictions of the Hungarian Government, several epidemic hospitals and centers have been established in Hungary. The first infected patient was detected on 4th March, 2020 in our country, who was not a Hungarian citizen. The first patient died of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 was on 15th March. The Hungarian epidemic curve is flattened and more prolonged. We aimed to report our computer tomography (CT) findings in correlation with clinical status in patients with COVID-19 infection. Material and methods All patients with laboratory-identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and who underwent chest CT were collected between March 26, 2020, and April 20, 2020, in our hospital. In our centre we had 107 PCR confirmed COVID-19 positive patients in this period. 52 patient (male: female 1:2, average age: 67.94) were admitted to our central epidemic hospital, according to their complains: fever, dyspnoea, hypoxaemia, altered mental status, comorbidity, sepsis or if patient isolation could not be performed. In case of every patient we took blood test, nasopharyngeal sample and a chest CT without contrast agent. In our CT report we used a score system to characterize the severity. Results The majority of infected patients had a history of exposure in nursing homes and mostly presented with fever and cough. The present study confirmed the findings about results of other researches. The COVID-19 pneumonia affected the elderly patients, caused hypoxia, cough and sepsis. On the CT scan, typical signs were seen in the cases of PCR confirmed patients. Conclusion The limitations of the present study include the low number of patients. Collectively, our results appear consistent with previous studies. Chest CT examination plays an important role in the diagnosis and estimation of the severity of the novel coronavirus pneumonia. Future research should examine strategically the features of the Hungarian population.

Using deliberation for partisan purposes: evidence from the Hungarian National Consultation

The paper contributes to the field of party politics and the use of deliberative practices by analyzing how a Hungarian political party uses deliberation to its own advantage. Our focus is on the National Consultation, which was designed by the elite populist radical right party Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz-MPP) in 2005 as a deliberative practice to increase the party’s social embeddedness. The National Consultation became a government-funded questionnaire that is sent to Hungarian citizens by mail. Our article builds on existing typologies to show how the party established deliberative procedures to achieve strategic vote and policy seeking goals, as well as legitimacy and other normative objectives with the electorate. The article uses inductive thematic analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews with Hungarian politicians conducted in 2020. Our results provide evidence that deliberative practices can be hijacked by the political actors.

Stefano Bottoni. Orbán: Un despota in Europa.

Stefano Bottoni. <i>Orbán: Un despota in Europa.</i>