Hungarians give conscription a resounding no

A new representative survey by the government-aligned Századvég Institute shows overwhelming opposition to reintroducing conscription. Supporters of the governing Fidesz–KDNP coalition are most firmly against it, with 91% rejecting the idea. Voters without clear political affiliation land squarely in the middle of the national average, and even among supporters of the Tisza Party, three out of four oppose any return to compulsory military duty.

Századvég conducted the survey in September, shortly after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that “Europe is at war.” More and more European leaders have echoed her sentiment, warning that an armed conflict with Russia may no longer be avoidable. Some are even calling for the EU to shift toward a wartime economy.

Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, former army chief and now Tisza’s military expert, openly advocates for strong solidarity with Ukraine — including, if necessary, sending soldiers. According to Századvég, Tisza’s stance — which the governing party characterizes as being shaped by Brussels — runs directly counter to the clear majority opinion of its own voters.

Artificial intelligence was used to assist in the translation of parts of the original German text.