Public perceptions of Hungarian foreign policy in the spring of 2026

Abstract

This data report describes the univariate results of a nationally representative online survey of 1,000 respondents conducted between March 19 and April 1, 2026. The research examined public perceptions of Hungarian foreign policy, the channels through which citizens obtain foreign policy information, the sources they consider credible, and attitudes toward the European Union's foreign policy role and the involvement of civil society organizations. The results indicate dissatisfaction with the foreign policy of the FIDESZ government: the majority of those giving substantive answers rated government foreign policy at the lowest value on the scale, with a scale mean of 2.13. According to 45 percent of respondents, government messages delivered abroad damaged Hungary's international reputation. Foreign policy experts lead the credibility ranking, while government actors were relegated to the middle of the field. In the EU dimension, the idea of global engagement enjoys majority support, while views on alignment with the EU's common foreign policy line remain divided. The purpose of this presentation is to document the basic distributions and to provide an empirical foundation for further explanatory analyses.