A Research Report byAndrás Kováts
The fact that Hungarian Roma are asking for asylum in Western Europe or Canada with reference to persecution in their own country has frequently stirred up public interest in recent months. This interest has virtually become a public preoccupation here in Hungary since the departure of the Zámoly Roma for France. Besides being profusely discussed in the press, this hot issue has occasioned a series of official statements made by the president, government officials, party politicians, Roma and non-Roma members of interest protec-tion organisaprotec-tions as weil as by members of the intelligentsia, and a variety of statements of partisan opinions concerning the question have become a part of Hungarian politicai discourse.
As part of the 'Omnibusz' data collection project conducted by T ÁRKl2 in December 2000 we asked people a few questions about the topic of Roma migration. Our aim was to find out the opinion of the adult population ' about the statements which had frequently been voiced as part of every-day social and politicai discourse about Roma migration."
The figures are given in theAppendix (they are summarised inChart Al).
The first statement which has often been heard recently is that "the Western countries should adopt the Roma asylum-seekers" (Chart A2). Almost 50% of the population reject this position partly or completely. SJightly over one quarter of the population have a 'yes and no' attitude to the question, while the remaining one quarter agree partly or completely.
We examined the distribution of opinions also with a view to finding significant links between various social groups and relevant differences in the distribution of opinions.>
Among people living in villages, people with low educational qualifications and lower in-comes the number of those who think Western countries should admit the Roma applicants was above the average. Among people living in county centres, people with secondary schoollevels and higher incomes acceptance of this opinion was below the average.
JThe report was made as part ofa research project done for the Prime Minister's Office.
2 Short for'Társadalomkutató Intézet', i.e. Institute for Social Research.
3 The sample included persons representing the Hungarian population at and above 18 yeas of age arranged aceording to age,sex,type of place of residence, and educational qualifications.
4 lnterviewees were allowed to rank their approval of the statements aceording to a five-grade scale, i.e.
completely agree, partly agree, agree and not agree, disagree rather than agree and disagree completely.
5 In the specific dimensions we examined whether there were any significant ch anges in the proportion of those who partly (rather) or completely agree with the above statement.
An opinion of ten voiced in debates about Roma migration is that "it would be a good solution to the problems of the Hungarian gypsies if Western countries allowed them to settle down as refugees" (Chart A3). The opinion of the population about this statement is more evenly distributed. Somewhat less than one quarter agree and do not agree, while the rest are divided more or less equally between agreement and rejection.
A greater than average proportion of those living in villages, those with low incomes, the elderly, those regarding themselves as belonging to the working or lower classes, and those who find their financial situation bad or very bad, think the problem of Hungarian gypsies were solved if the gypsies left Hungary to live in another country.P The proportion of those who share this opinion was below the average among inhabitants of the capita\, those with relatively high incomes, those in their thirties, those classifying themselves as lower middie class, and those who are satisfied with their financial situation.
More than 50% of the population agreed completely, 25% partly, with the statement that
"most of the Roma applying for refugee status abroad have not been persecuted in
Hun-gary" (Chart A4). Less than one tenth of those answering were of a partiyor comp1etely different opinion.
A greater th an average proportion of the elderly, those with poor education and those with extreme opinions on the activity of the government think the gypsies have not been persecuted in Hungary." The number of those agreeing with the state ment was weil below the average among people below 30 years of age.
Surveying the history of Roma migration in the past few years we may come to the conclusion that "the gypsies in Hungary are in such a bad situation that they are driven to ask for refugee status in Western states" (Chart A5). The majority of the Hungarian popula-tion do not share this view: more than 50% of those answering do not agree with it at ali and a further 25% are disposed to reject rather than accept it. Less than a tenth of them subscribe to this view.
It is only in terms of age that the proportion of those dissenting from the above view displays any significant difference: less than the average proportion of young people (those below 30) are convinced that the situation of the gypsies in Hungary does not suffi-ciently justify tak ing recourse to applying for refugee status elsewhere.f
The charge has of ten been made against the Roma who left for France in July that "the Zámoly Roma went to Strasbourg and asked for asylum with the purpose of bringing the country into disrepute" (Chart A6). Almost two thirds of the population agree with this statement. The remaining one third are divided approxirnately fifty-fifty between agreement and disagreement, on the one hand, and between parti al or complete rejection.
This opinion enjoys greater than average acceptance among those who live in villages.f those with low education, the elderly and those who hold extreme views on the activity of
6 As with the previous questions, we were now examining in the specific dimensions whether there were any significant ch anges in the proportions of those who agree with the above statemerit partiyor completely.
7In this case we were examining in the specific dimensions the proportion of those who agreed with the statement completely.
8 We were now examining in the specific dimensions whether there were any significant ch anges in the proportion of those who completely reject the above statement.
9 Here again we were examining the proportion ofthose agreeing with the statement completely, in the spe-cific dimensions.
the government. A smaller than average proportion of the residents of the capita!, those with higher education degrees and those below 30 agree with it completely.
A recurrent theme in the debates surround ing refugee migration is captured in the ques-tion whether the applicants are really driven to leave their source country by the persecution and atrocities to which they have been exposed or are merely trying toacquire an entitlement to reside inan economically more developed country in the hope of a better living, i.e.
whether they are really economic migrants. The question we asked about the Hungarian Roma concerned their reasons for applying for refugee status in a Western country. A mere 3% of the Hungarian population think the Roma who asked for refugee status in the West had left their country because of the persecution and discrimination they had suffered there. An overwhelming maj ori ty (85%) of those answering are of the opinion that the Roma are going to the West and applying for refugee status in the hope of a better living.
7% think that the two causes are combined, and 5% think there issomething else hidden in the background.
APPENDIX
Chart Al
Opinion of the Hungarian population about the five statements made about Roma migration; percentage
admit gypsies who ask for 11,5 13,6 26,4 22,9 25,6
(N= 1365)
have not been persecuted 9,8 5,7 3,1
(N= 1346) in Hungary
The situation of gypsies in Hungary isso bad that they are
2,1 4,8 10,5 25,3 100
driven to ask for refugee status 57,3
(N= 1421)
Chart A2
"Western countries should admit gypsies who ask for refugee status"
Distribution of the opinion of the population; percentage
Feature Agree completely
Different opinion Total or partly
Type of place
Village 30,9 69,1 100(N=489)
TownJcity 22,4 77,6 100(N=303)
County centre 20,S 79,5 100(N= 314)
Capital 23,0 77,0 100(N=259)
Education
Less than 8 years at primary school 37,4 62,6 100(N= 104)
8 years at primary school 29,1 70,9 100 (N= 349)
Yocational secondary school 24,6 75,4 100 (N= 414)
Grammar schoollevels 19,6 80,4 100(N=335)
Higher education degree 21,7 78,3 100(N= 163)
Income
The lowest one-fifth 33,8 66,2 LOO(N=218)
The second 28,8 71,2 100(N= 243)
The third 24,6 75,4 100(N=233)
The fourth 23,9 76,1 100(N=215)
The top one-fifth 18,6 81,4 100(N=23I)
Populaiion total 25,1 74,9 JOO(N= J365)
Chart A3
"It would be a good solution to the problems of Hungarian gypsies if they were accepted as refugees by Western states"
Distribution of the opinion of the population; percentage
Feature Agree completely
Differcnt opinion Total or partly
Type of place
Village 43,5 56,5 100(N=478)
TownJcity 36,0 64,0 100(N= 301)
County centre 33,6 66,4 100(N= 309)
Capital 30,4 69,6 100(N= 264)
Age group
18-29 32,7 67,3 100(N=285)
30-39 28,7 71,3 100(N=267)
40-49 36,5 63,5 100(N= 257)
50-59 41,9 58,1 100(N= 227)
60-X 44,3 55,7 100(N= 311)
Income
The lowest one-fifth 42,4 57,6 100(N= 208)
The second 39,3 60,7 100(N= 240)
The third 39,9 60,1 100(N=224)
The fourth 39,2 60,8 100(N=217)
The top one- fifth 28,7 71,3 100(N=233)
Assignment to social class
Low 41,7 58,3 100(N=106)
Working class 42,4 57,6 100(N= 527)
Lower middie class 29,4 70,6 100(N= 301)
Middie class 32,9 67,1 100(N= 377)
Upper middie class 47,8" 52Y 100(N= 23)
Upper 71,9" 28,1" 100(N= 4)
Financial situation
Very bad 45,9 54,1 100(N= 136)
Bad 41,5 58,5 \00 (N= 320)
Medioere 35,1 64,9 \00 (N= 797)
Good 25,\ 74,9 100(N= 94)
Very good 23,8" 76,2" 100(N= 4)
Population total 37,0 63,0 100 (N= 1351)
" Insignificant because of the small number of items.
Chart A4
"Most of the gypsies asking for refugee status abroad have not been persecuted in Hungary"
Distribution of the opinion of the population; percentage
Feature Agree completely Different opinion Total
or partly Age group
18-29 45,4 54,6 100 (N=271)
30-39 56,1 43,9 100 (N= 265)
40-49 56,5 43,5 100(N= 263)
50-59 62,4 37,6 100(N= 229)
60-X 63,8 36,2 100(N= 315)
Education
Less than 8 years at primary school 64,5 35,5 100(N= 99)
8 years at primary school 59,4 40,6 100(N=343)
Vocational secondary school 55,6 44,4 IDO(N = 409)
Grammar schoollevels 53,4 46,6 100(N=332)
Higher education degree 57,6 42,4 100(N= 161)
Opinion about the government
Only negative 68,6 31,4 100 (N=241)
Negative rather than positive 53,0 47,0 100(N=515)
Positive rather than negative 54,0 46,0 100(N=416)
Only positive 61,6 38,4 100(N= 59)
No idea 57,8 42,2 100(N= 110)
Population total 56,9 43,1
too
(N= 1346)Chart A5
"The situation of gypsies in Hungary is so bad that they are driven to ask for refugee status in Western states"
Distribution of the opinion of the population; percentage
Feature Agree completely
Different opinion Total or partIy
Age group
18-29 47,4 52,6 100(N=300)
30-39 62,0 38,0 100(N= 286)
40-49 57,8 42,2 100(N=268)
50-59 60,1 39,9 100(N=238)
60-X 59,7 40,3 100(N= 326)
Opinion about the government
Only negative 66,2 33,8 100(N=256)
Negative rather than positive 55,9 44,1 100(N= 545)
Positive rather than negative 53,7 46,3 100(N=433)
Only positive 59,8 40,2 100(N= 62)
No idea 55,3 44,7 100(N= 120)
Population total 57,3 42,7 100 (N= 1421)
Chart A6
"The Zámoly Roma left for Strasbourg and asked for refugee status with the purpose of bringing the country into disrepute."
Distribution of the opinion of the population; percentage
Feature Agree completely Different opinion Total
or partly Type of place
Village 48,1 51,9 100(N=466)
TownJcity 36,4 63,6 100(N=285)
County centre 40,9 59,1 100(N=298)
Capital 34,2 65,8 100(N= 257)
Education
Less than 8 years at primary school 45,4 54,6 100(N= 98)
8 years at primary school 44,4 55,6 100(N=327)
Vocational secondary school 46,4 53,6 100(N=403)
Grammar schoollevels 36,1 63,9 100(N=321)
Higher education degree 29,0 71,0 100(N= 156)
Age group
18-29 29,3 70,7 100(N= 275)
30-39 38,5 61,5 100(N= 252)
40-49 39,5 60,5 100(N=248)
50-59 49,5 50,5 100(N=229)
60-X 49,3 50,7 100(N= 299)
Opinion about the government
Only negative 48,7 51,3 100(N=241)
Negative rather than positive 37,8 62,2 100(N= 500)
Positive rather than negative 36,5 63,5 100(N=400)
Only positive 53,6 46,4 100(N= 57)
No idea 50,3 49,7 100(N= 104)
Population total 41,2 58,8 100 (N= 1306)