In Hungary there is a national youth survey every 4 years. In these surveys young people's interest in political issues and participation (based on a self-assessment) is continuously studied. In 2016, Hungarian young people were less interested in politics, although young people in other Central and Eastern European countries are generally only moderately interested in politics. Simply put, those who are interested in politics are outnumbered by those who are not.

However, according to the 2020 survey [Hungarian Youth 2020 (Magyar Fiatalok 2020)], young Hungarians are more interested in politics than in previous years. The value of 'interest in politics' increased since 2012. It can also be said that 28% of young people have a politically active friend. The results of this research also show that the interest of Hungarian young people in public life has also increased in the last 4 years. (For more details, see sub-chapter 5.2 Youth participation in a representative democracy.)

One of the indicators of active engagement in politics is membership in an organisation. The more interested young people are in politics, the more likely they are to be members of a non-governmental organisation. The main reasons for this are friends and community or the opportunity for advocacy.

In Hungary

'Less than one-sixth (15%) of young people are members of some kind of organization. […] The most preferred ones are sports associations, sports clubs and church organizations. Other relevant organizations are cultural, tradition preserving groups, as well as student and voluntary organizations.' [National Youth Strategy (Nemzeti Ifjúsági Stratégia)]

Promoting youth participation is a goal of the Hungarian government, which is reflected in several documents and action plans. The primary strategy dealing with this issue is the National Youth Strategy 2009-2024 (Nemzeti Ifjúsági Stratégia 2009-2024), but it is also important to mention the National Youth Strategy - Action Plans. (For more details, see sub-chapter 5.5 National Strategy to Increase Youth Participation.)