January 15th, 2010

Hungarians expect financially bleak future, survey reveals

The majority of Hungarians expect a bleak future with their financial situation worsening over the next 12 month, a survey by pollster Tarki revealed on Thursday.

Of the whole adult sample of the population, 42 percent of respondents said their financial situation would worsen by December 2010, and 15 percent said theirs would improve. December data were a little more optimistic compared to the same survey taken in November, Tarki said.

Sixteen percent of respondents said a very bad period is ahead of the country, while 27 percent said it would be “just bad” and 16 percent expect improvement in Hungary’s economic situation.

“Compared to earlier data, it appears that people’s view of their own situation has improved but their outlook on the future has worsened,” Tarki analyst Blanka Pathy-Dencso said.

Asked to assess the direction the country was taking, 80 percent of respondents said “things were going in the wrong direction” including 17 percent who said they were “in the worst possible direction”.

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  1. Benny the dwarf says:

    And they ain’t wrong.

  2. TDS says:

    “Hungarians are pessimistic”.
    Wow, never knew that before…

  3. wolfi says:

    I’m trying to help by spending as much as I can, but still …

    Most of our neighbours have financial problems, even around Héviz the situation doesn’t look good. Couldn’t some positive thinking help ?

  4. Sandor says:

    I have spent some eighteen months with various projects here in Hungary. Most have come unstuck because of bureaucratic red tape, and Hungarian businessmen that fail to recognize the importance of marketing and advertising.
    There is a distinct lack of personnel in the technology “department” as well and, to be quite honest a distinct lack of everything associated with being able to run a successful business.
    I too spend a lot of money here and try to help local business. But, oh my goodness, the scandals and corruption issues that surface on a daily basis is mind-blowing.
    This country needs help. Not just financially but a whole heap of stuff regarding a structurally sound tax system, a reform of the justice system, policing methods, education overhaul, local government improvements and, instead of deterring investment, measures should be put in place to encourage it.
    Will Orban and his playmates be able to deliver when they are elected come Springtime?
    That, my dear friends, is the 64-thousand-dollar -question!

  5. wolfi says:

    @Sandor:

    What you’re saying about “the country needs help …” reminds me of East Germany 20 years ago – they got that help from West Germany, although many in the east resented it at first …

    I went to teach in Berlin and Leipzig, a friend of mine was local boss of a bank until someone from the east could take over and so on.

    I think the Croatians and Slovenians did something similar, importing Knowhow for a new tax system and so on …

  6. JD says:

    @Sandor “That, my dear friends, is the 64-thousand-dollar -question!”

    And I guess in the true tradition of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’, Orban will “ask the audience”.

    We may end up going “50:50″, he might at some point, “phone a friend”

    But one thing you can be sure by the end is that he will be a millionaire.

    As for the rest of the Hungarian population, most will just be licking their wounds and feeling sorry for themselves, lamenting the old government until the election when it will be “all change” again.

    This cycle goes round and round ….. and round.

  7. Benny the dwarf says:

    Nice one, JD.

  8. wolfi says:

    this looks relly bad – our masseuse asked my wife to please, please pay for february in advance. It seems she and her husband are on some kind of black list, no bank will lend them money, even though they could use their house as collateral.