Poles and Hungarians, like other Central Europeans, have generally favorable views of democracy. Their support is below the level in Western Europe but is comparable to that of Central Europe as a whole (see Table 1.1). Nevertheless, although more satisfied than their neighbors to the east, respondents express quite high levels of distrust of government institutions. Only 43% of Poles and 31% of Hungarians are satisfied or very satisfied with democracy in their own country, compared with 57% of Western Europeans and 10% of Eastern Europeans (Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine). Less than half the population has confidence in parliament, the civil service, or the justice system (Table 3.1). These numbers, however, are not markedly different from the responses for Western Europe and in one case – Hungarian views of the civil service – exceed Western European levels.

The most dramatic contrasts between Western Europe and Central Europe show up in people's willingness to engage in political action and to participate in voluntary or charitable activities. Both types of reported behavior are much lower in the former socialist countries such as Poland and Hungary (see Tables 1.2 and 8.1). Some special features of the Central European transition contribute to these differences. A historical legacy of governments that lacked popular legitimacy persists into the present and influences people's willingness to participate in political activities.