Original scientific paper

Croats and Recent Changes in Hungary

Sreća Perunović ; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The author presents part of the research results obtained via a questionnaire survey in June 1990 among members of the Croatian national minority in Hungary (N = 520). The data pertains to queried opinions on changes in Hungary in relation to the global society, to the minority and to individuals. Altogether 56.4% of the respondents felt that it was yet not possible to evaluate what these changes mean for the Croatian national minority, and a similar standpoint was expressed by 45.78% of the respondents in their evaluations in regard to the meaning of the recent changes for Hungary as a global society. The following most frequent answer expressed an evaluation that the changes were partially good and partially bad (28.29% for Hungary as a whole, 18.93% for the Croatian national minority in Hungary). A positive evaluation of the changes was not given that often, although it was given more often than a negative response. Such an evaluation was given by 19.65% of the respondents for changes in Hungary, and only 15.19% in regard to the position of the minority. On the individual level, 15.94% of the respondents answered that they felt good in regard to the changes. Although the respondents generally did not evaluate the changes as poor, in cases when they gave such an answer, this was most often in regard to the position of the Croatian minority in Hungary (6,51%). The author interprets reserved attitude of the respondents in giving extreme evaluations, both positive and negative ones. The process of social change began relatively recently. Many things in society are still in ferment, and have not yet received their final contours. Furthermore, in Hungarian daily life there are (still) many contradictions: on the one hand, a number of measures have been taken which confirm the liberalisation of social and political life in Hungary – on the other hand, not only are there contrary effects, but all this is occurring in a situation of great economic crisis.

Keywords

social changes; Croats; Hungary

Hrčak ID:

127683

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/127683

Publication date:

30.11.1990.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 1.169 *