Project leader

Imre Kovách

Participants

Ágnes Tóth
László Szarka
Attila Papp Z.
Bernadett Csurgó
Luca Kristóf
Anna Légmán
Boldizsár Megyesi

Summary

The elites responded the crisis by a closure and by monopolization of development resources.

The survey shows a strong closure of the Hungarian elites. If the characteristics of the three elites are analysed, it is obvious that although this group is at the top with a good financial background, it is relatively dissatisfied with its situation. The values of the Hungatian political elites are not clear; many conflicting statements were formulated in the context of research.

Most of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia (cultural and economic elites) are first-generation intellectuals, who are children of parents belonging to different social groups. Partly rural origin, partly born in rural large and small cities. In other words, the origin of the social elite of Slovakia's Hungarian population is heterogeneous, with all the positive and negative consequences.

Transylvanism is the identification point for the Hungarian economic and cultural elite of Romania. They define themselves as Transylvanian primarily and their home and native land is Transylvania. Analysing the available data we can conclude that the Hungarian minority cultural elite is very much embedded in the Romanian state and local power structures. However, the minority elites embeddedness is not primarily driven by personal ambition, but the structural position of minority. Also the economic elite is embedded in the local economic networks.

The research is following the survey conducted in 1988/93, 1997, 2001 series of empirical research. The survey reached 3568 respondents in 2009 and 2010.

The Hungarian political elite (401 people), economic elites (438 people), cultural elites (501 people) elites of the Hungarian minorities: German, Romanian, Slovak, Romanian (522 people), of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, the economic (398) and cultural elite (395 people), the Hungarian minority in Romania economic (407 people) and cultural elite (506 people) were interviewed.

The research is internationally unique, regarding that it collected data as a part of a research series started 21 years ago.

It is the first comparative quantitative research conducted on Hungarian minorities in Slovakia and Romania, elite of the minorities in Hungary and the Hungarian elites.

Project closure report (pdf 211 kb)