Determining political party preferences of voters is a relatively straightforward process. The majority of voters know which party they would vote for, and they often declare their opinion in public opinion polls and interviews. However, if our main question is not which party would be ideal for governance according to Hungarians, but rather which values should the ideal governing party have, we have much less information at our disposal. A number of surveys focus on Hungarian voters’ party preference and their opinion on policies, but not much is said about the values and principles of governance they find important. In theory, modern democracies are based on similar principles and democratic standards, however, no two countries are the same, and certain values receive different levels of emphasis in the political culture of different states, whether it’s the method of governance or the expectations of the voters. How important is the preservation of traditions? Is it worth giving it up for the development of the state? Is it the state’s duty to have solidarity towards its citizens or is everyone responsible for their own lives? How important is it that the government acts in accordance with the state legislation? Does the end really justify the means? All in all, how differently do we think about the meaning of ideal governance? Is there some type of correlation between the voters’ party preference and their views on ideal governance? Is there a social standard that we can agree on? Republikon Institute’s latest analysis attempts to find answers to these questions.
Read the full analysis here.
Supported by the Friedrich Nauman Foundation For Freedom.