According to a recent Europe-wide poll, younger people in some parts of Europe are more likely to hold anti-immigration views than older generations. In Hungary, the majority of respondents view immigration from non-EU countries negatively, and Generation Z is no exception.
The Guardian analysed data ahead of the upcoming European Parliamentary elections and found that in some parts of Europe, particularly in Eastern states, young people are as anti-immigration or even more so than their older counterparts. This trend, The Guardian suggests, could indicate a future strengthening of parties with anti-immigration platforms across Europe.
The polling data cited by The Guardian was published by Eurobarometer, which categorised respondents into four age groups in their cross-country survey:
- Gen Z: born after 1997
- Millennials: born between 1980 and 1997
- Gen X: born between 1965 and 1980
- Baby Boomers: born between 1946 and 1964
Respondents were asked about their attitudes towards immigration from outside the European Union.
“Across all of Europe, baby boomers are still the generation most likely to hold anti-immigration views, but in some member states, Millennials – those born between 1980 and 1997 – and Generation Z – born after 1997 – have just as negative or even more negative attitudes towards immigration from outside the EU,” The Guardian summarised the survey’s findings.
Moreover,
“Eurobarometer results suggest that attitudes towards immigration have hardened among younger respondents in the four years since the last EU elections, reflecting an overall rise in anti-immigration sentiment across all age groups within the bloc.”
Since 2019, the proportion of Europeans aged 15 to 24 with negative opinions about immigration has risen from 32 to 35 percent. Among those aged 25 to 34, the share holding anti-immigration views increased from 38 to 42 percent between 2019 and 2023.
Hungarians are overwhelmingly anti-immigration
Looking at the data for Hungary, while the highest rates of anti-immigration sentiment are still found among Baby Boomers and Generation X (80 and 77 percent, respectively), Generation Z also shows strong opposition to immigration, with 76 percent expressing unfavourable views on this issue. The most pro-immigration group are millennials, but even among them, a majority of 68 percent have negative views on the influx of migrants to Europe.
Overall, the data shows that the majority of each generation in Hungary holds negative views on immigrants from outside the EU.
Similarly to Hungary, in Poland, Baby Boomers hold the strongest anti-immigration views, but there has also been a rise in the number of Generation Z individuals who harbour adverse feelings when it comes to migration.
Interestingly, overall, the percentage of those with negative views on immigration is much lower in Poland compared to Hungary: 55 percent of Baby Boomers, 39 percent of Generation X, 42 percent of Millennials, and 52 percent of Generation Z hold anti-immigration views.
“Let’s support Viktor Orbán’s program, and stop immigration!”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A country that shows similarly high figures of disavowal as Hungary is Slovenia, where 70% of Baby Boomers, 73% of Gen X, 74% of Millennials and 59% of Gen Z think negatively about immigration from third countries.
In Finland, Cyprus and Malta, Generation Z is notably more unsympathetic towards immigration than millennials, mirroring the trends seen in Hungary and Poland.
This pattern of rising anti-immigration sentiment among the young,” The Guardian concludes, “is a marked contrast to other EU member states, which have seen consistent declines in negative attitudes across generations. In Germany, Italy, and Spain, the share of respondents saying they feel negatively about immigration consistently falls between generations.”
“The data comes as EU member states prepare for June’s European parliament elections, in which resurgent far-right parties are expected to make gains.”
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Hungary has learned her lesson in 2015. The Hungarian teachers did a good job teaching the young to think. The younger generations are more logical and reasonable when it comes to allowing uneducated, unassimilable illegal aliens to settle in their country, only to be forced to support them. Many Muslim males do not respect western women. These people do not belong in EU society.
Dear Maria, you should be praying for avoiding another war in Europe. During the 2nd WW a lot if Hungarians had to moved to south America. Imagine another war and then suddenly everybody giving their back to you. Hungarians are so selfish, they want to be helped first in order to hel0 back. But if there is a country let say like Peru that because of a war they decide to move to Hungary, you will be with this stupid mindset.
The young know where to look and easily find endless videos of illegal alien invaders turning Western countries into dystopian nightmares. They don’t want to get raped or robbed, they don’t want to be unable to go to parts of their towns, they don’t want their cities to be regularly trashed and burned to the ground by rioters, they do not want to cower in fear walking their own streets, and, most of all, they don’t want to be hauled off to jail if they express dissatisfaction with any of it.
I have not forgotten the nauseating scenes of foreign invaders triumphantly rampaging through the Keleti train station plaza in late 2015. Neither, it seems, have the young.
Nor will we. Nor will we allow it to ever happen again!
You are such a cruel woman, Maria. I think that these young Hungarians should realize that a majority of them immigrate themselves to places with a better quality of life. Would they like to be thrown out of the U.S. and western Europe because they are “different”? Maria is more than a liar, she is someone who has no empathy whatsoever. Perhaps as an immigrant herself she would, but she would like to think that just because she is white, those around her in North Amercan love her, but behind her back, they talk about the “Hungarian” woman. Maybe she should be sent back because of her radical views exposed by her heros Trump (convicted today) and Orban (maybe tomorrow).
Hopefully, the “Young” of Hungary, vote in accordance of there opinion.
“Its easy to stand in a crowd but it takes COURAGE to stand alone.”
Mahatma Gandhi quote.
Jose and your friends are unable to tell the difference between immigrants legally applying for entrance and the criminal illegal aliens. Stories I have heard and read from Hungarian expats. said that Hungarians who left in 1956 were well educated and they all contributed to the economy of the chose countries. Stories about earlier Hungarian immigrants at the turn of the century and after were great farmers and in Canada at least supplied food to the population at large.
I am a firm believer in law and order. Why should people be forcefully supporting law breakers who have no respect for the society not any intention of entering the labor force. These criminals cost billions for the local taxpayers. This makes no sense.
Only those people who are in favor of criminal illegal aliens should be made to pay for the invaders.
Maria, what us your source for that? From thousands leaving a country during a war, do you really think only educated people leave? Or do you mean that Hungary did nit allow useless Hungarians to leave the country? I wish not to read your comments any more, but is not possible on this site. You are always saying non sense
Yes, I am sure there were some Hungarian migrants that turned out to be criminals. The % was so small it cannot be found in books. Hungarian migrants were definitely not known for child molestation or rape of women or murder.