The latest Europion survey suggests that support for Péter Magyar’s governing Tisza Party has stabilised after several months of gradual decline. While voters are most satisfied with accountability efforts since the change of government, economic policy and the government’s style of governing attract the most criticism.
Support for Hungary’s governing Tisza Party appears to have stabilised in October after a gradual decline between May and September, according to the latest party preference poll by research firm Europion, as reported by HVG.
The survey also found that Dávid Vitézy remains the country’s most popular politician, while Ágnes Forsthoffer has gained ground and is now tied with Prime Minister Péter Magyar for second place.
In the wider population, 48% of respondents said they would vote for Tisza in an election held this Sunday, up from 47% in September. Among respondents who could name a party, support rose from 57% to 58%, while the party’s backing among decided voters certain to participate increased from 59% to 61%.
Fidesz remained unchanged at 21% among the total population, corresponding to 26% among both party-preferring respondents and decided voters certain to turn out.
Mi Hazánk holds on to double-digit support
The far-right Mi Hazánk party has managed to stabilise its support at around the 10% mark among the overall population.
According to Europion, 10% of all respondents would vote for the party led by László Toroczkai. Its support rises to 12% among those who can name a party, but falls to 9% among decided voters certain to participate.
The polling firm attributed this gap to the party’s relatively strong performance among people who have become disengaged from politics or are uncertain whether they would vote. This could limit its support in a closely contested election.
Political engagement nevertheless remains high: seven in ten respondents said they were certain to vote in a hypothetical election, while 18% were unable or unwilling to choose a party.
If you missed it: Tisza Party support falls sharply, but Magyar Péter’s party still dominates new poll
Vitézy remains Hungary’s most popular politician
There has been little dramatic change in the popularity rankings of individual politicians.
Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy remains in first place, with an approval rating of 52%, unchanged from September. Forsthoffer, the parliamentary speaker, gained four percentage points and is now tied with Magyar for second place.
Other relatively popular Tisza politicians include István Kapitány, with 47%, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anita Orbán, with 46%, and Health Minister Zsolt Hegedűs, with 44%.
Politicians associated with the former governing camp continue to rank near the bottom of the list. Former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s popularity fell two percentage points below that of Toroczkai, Mi Hazánk’s parliamentary group leader.
According to the survey, 56% of the population would not, or would rather not, like to see Orbán in an important public role. The equivalent figure for Toroczkai is 47%.
President András Baka also ranks near the bottom, with a popularity rating of 29%. However, 47% of respondents said they did not know enough about him or could not offer a definite opinion, suggesting that his relatively low rating may partly reflect limited public familiarity.
Never miss a headline: join Daily News Hungary’s official WhatsApp channel!
Accountability is the most appreciated area of government
Europion also asked respondents which aspects of the government’s work since the change of government they were most satisfied or dissatisfied with.
Around one-third of respondents, or 32%, said they were satisfied with nothing. This figure rose to 60% among people who voted for Fidesz in April’s election, compared with just 9% among Tisza voters.
A further 16% did not provide an answer that could be meaningfully categorised. Among the remaining 52% of respondents who gave a substantive answer, accountability efforts were the most frequently mentioned source of satisfaction, cited by 25%.
Foreign and EU policy came next, with 14%, followed by changes and plans concerning public services, including education, healthcare, transport and child protection, at 13%.
The findings suggest that efforts to hold people accountable for alleged wrongdoing under the previous government are the most appreciated aspect of the new administration’s work among respondents who identified a specific area of satisfaction.
Economic policy and governing style attract the most criticism
The picture was less positive when respondents were asked what dissatisfied them about the government.
Only 17% said there was nothing they were dissatisfied with. This included 13% of Fidesz voters and 21% of Tisza voters. Another 19% did not provide a meaningful answer.
Among respondents who identified a specific source of dissatisfaction, general discontent was the most common response, accounting for 20%. An equally large share pointed to economic policy, including taxation and the cost of living.
A further 17% criticised the government’s approach to governing, its political style or the quality of its communication. Among Tisza voters specifically, the leading complaint was different: 21% considered the pace of accountability efforts too slow.