Seen from Afar: Roma in the Hungarian media

In his research on national identity among Hungarians, sociologist Guy Lázár found that the majority's image of Roma bears strong negative relation to the self-image of the majority2. Within this self-image, the Roma represent a negative reference group, mainly in the terms of diligence, honesty and lifestyle. The views of Hungarians about Roma have been well-documented: a 1994 survey on prejudice found that roughly nine tenths of the interviewees, in a sample which did not take into account the ethnic affiliation of the respondent, agreed with the statement that "the problems of the Gypsies would be solved if they finally started to work"; approximately two thirds agreed that "inclination to commit crime is in the Gypsies' blood"; and almost three quarters share the perception that "the increasing Gypsy population is a threat to society's security3."