What do young Central Europeans think about democracy in the media and political space of the 21st century?

The National Democratic Institute conducted a study among the Polish, Hungarian and Slovakian youth. Political Capital was responsible for writing the chapter on Hungary. At first sight, the results seem to suggest that Central Europeans between 16 and 29 are firmly committed to democracy. However, they are easily willing to give up on it. A significant proportion of young citizens in these three countries would be willing to give up some democratic values in exchange for an improvement to their financial situation, although results vary across the board. Young Central European’s views on the EU show a similar duality: the bloc is seen both as a significant identity-shaping force and as a threat to national sovereignty.

The full study is available here (pdf, 2,265 KB).