Changes in public attitudes towards the environment and environmental protection in Hungary

Schneider, Mihály; Medgyesi, Márton

Changes in public attitudes towards the environment and environmental protection in Hungary

Our study aims to examine public attitudes towards the environment and climate change. Our analysis is based on data from the 2020 Environment module of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Overall, despite the fact that Hungarian society in general is not characterized by values related to environmental problems, more than half of the population expressed clear concerns about environmental problems. A comparison of opinions over time (with 1993 data) shows that various forms of environmentally conscious action (selective waste collection, reduction of car use) are becoming more widespread, which can be attributed not only to infrastructural development but also to changes in individual attitudes. Despite the emergence of climate protection movements, which are attracting increasing media attention, the environmental political activity of the adult Hungarian population has not changed after thirty years, and they are less willing to make financial sacrifices for environmental protection than in 1993.