January 26th, 2009

Poll finds support for reform measures, but limited appetite for personal sacrifice

Most Hungarians supported an array of hypothetical reforms put to them by a polling firm as possible solutions to handling the current financial and economic crisis, said Monday’s Nepszabadsag daily.

The paper, citing polling data by Szonda Ipsos poll, said that the overwhelming majority of the public wanted changes to be made to the country’s political system and services.

Only a minority, however, said they would be willing to make some kind of personal financial sacrifice in order to help the country stabilise its finances. Thirty-nine percent said they would be willing to make such a sacrifice whereas 27 percent said they thought others would do the same.

Over 90 percent of respondents said that parliament should be downsized, and 86 percent agreed with the proposal to make party financing more transparent.

Sixty-eight percent agreed with the idea of cutting the number of local governments.

Fifty-five percent of those asked think that the pension system needs restructuring while 53 percent wanted to increase value-added tax and cut employment-related taxes.

Every other respondent agreed with halting family benefits to higher income households.

Szonda conducted the survey with representative sample of 500 voting-age adults.

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