Attitudes towards alcoholics and sexual minorities in two border districts of Hungary

Abstract

Background and purpose of the study: Exclusionary social attitudes are a traditional feature of Hungarian society, reinforced by the rhetoric and policies of the government since the mid-2010s. The aim of the study is to assess how the antipathy towards certain social groups has evolved in two alcohol-producing border districts and in two consecutive years.

Methodology: The results of small sample questionnaire surveys in Siklós district in 2020 and Záhony district in 2021 were analysed using SPSS and R software.

Findings and conclusion: In Hungary – at least in the two districts examined in the study – education has a particularly important impact on the existence of hostile (or even accepting) attitudes towards certain social groups. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the government’s efforts to shape public opinion may be assumed to affect these attitudes.