Three out of four Hungarians have someone in their lives who inspires them, according to a recent nationally representative survey by Yettel[1]. Men are more likely to choose a male role model (13% prefer a man to a woman), while women are more likely to be inspired by female talent (18%).
84% of respondents are inspired by a Hungarian person. This applies to almost all respondents in the older age group (96%). However, one in four Generation Z respondents have a foreign role model. Two out of three respondents know their role model personally. 35% are inspired by a family member, and a further 30% by someone they know personally, such as a friend, colleague or other acquaintance.
Motivation and perseverance are key
7 out of 10 Hungarians say they are inspired when they hear or read about a talented person. But what makes someone inspiring? The majority of respondents cited motivation (48%) and perseverance (48%) as the most important factors, but empathy (37%), i.e. a helpful attitude towards people, was also important, followed by intelligence (36%). The latter was more important among those with a higher education degree and those from Western Hungary.
Interestingly, while the success of their role model is important for only a quarter of Hungarians, it is the third most important aspect for 16–29-year-olds (39%). Also in this age group, one in four respondents find their role model inspiring because of their looks or beauty, ahead of being innovative. For the over 60s, it is also particularly important that their role models help people through their work.
More talent needed, including in technology
Hungarians believe that there is a need to further develop home-grown talent. Responses suggest that the need for more inspiring people is greatest in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors (47%), education (45%) and public life (30%), while almost a quarter of Gen Z respondents also believe that more inspiring people are needed in the IT and telecom sectors. The research shows that public funding, corporate or government scholarships, mentoring schemes and talent identification programs are good ways to support them. One in three respondents said support at work, while one in four said more opportunities for competition could also help Hungarian talent.
“We aim to make everyday life easier through technology, and home-grown talent plays a key role in this. The research shows that inspiring role models in engineering and technology are increasingly important for younger generations. Our scholarship program for young women launched last year on Women’s Day in partnership with Óbuda University, can help identify and support talented young people interested in a career in technology. We are delighted that in its first year we have seen innovative applications that can contribute to the advancement of science and technology, whether in the field of diagnostics or research methodology. We have decided to extend the scholarship program, so that we can help even more young talents,” said Enikő Szalai, Chief HR Officer of Yettel Hungary.
“Industrial partnerships and scholarships are particularly important for Óbuda University and the John von Neumann Faculty of Computer Science, as they significantly broaden the opportunities for our students and give them the chance to develop innovative research topics in cooperation with an industrial partner and thus gain market experience. We are very grateful to Yettel for their continued support and the creation of this talent program, which we hope will inspire all our female students to pursue research and development and innovation,” said Dr. György Eigner, Dean of the John von Neumann Faculty of Computer Science.
The joint scholarship program between Yettel and the John von Neumann Faculty of Computer Science at Óbuda University aims to make mobile technology and engineering more attractive to young women. The total amount of the scholarship is HUF 5 million, which can be won by 4 students in each semester. This year’s applicants submitted interesting and timely topics such as adding image processing functionality to the capabilities of a medical assistant chatbot, a project to develop an interactive web-based system for female fertility research, and a project to generate AI-based data samples.
For details of the extended program please visit https://nik.uni-obuda.hu/osztondijprogramot-hirdet-az-obudai-egyetem-es-a-yettel/
[1] The survey was conducted in February 2025 among a sample of 1,008 people using the Europion Market Research app (https://europion.hu/). The sample is representative of the Hungarian population with a smartphone aged 16-69 in terms of gender, age, education and type of settlement and geography.