Small steps toward Huxit? The roots of Euroscepticism and changing EU attitudes in Hungary

This chapter explores the nature and depth of public Euroscepticism in Hungary and aims to reveal the drivers of the phenomenon. To find potential explanations of what determines individual attitudes toward the EU, we briefly reviewed the history of Euroscepticism in Hungary and the relevant literature of EU studies, populism and voting behaviour. For our empirical investigation, we used two rounds of nationally representative public opinion research conducted in August 2021 and March 2023. To capture this complex phenomenon, we developed a new indicator based on the ABC model of attitudes, which measures affective, behavioural, and cognitive sub-indices of Euroscepticism. Based on both surveys, the majority of Hungarians are positive toward the EU, but passive when it comes to political action. It is consistent over time that partisanship, social-cultural right wing position, fear of losing social status, loneliness and authoritarian traits positively, while cosmopolitan values negatively correlate with Euroscepticism. We also found that the effect of partisanship is strengthened by affective polarization and political interest.