Hungary managers expect rising energy prices, poll shows

A total of 82% of surveyed Hungarian company managers expected energy prices to increase in the next six months in a recent poll carried out by Policy Agenda-Ipsos.

Only 6% of the respondents expected the prices to fall.

About 60% of those forecasting higher energy prices blamed the Hungarian government for the increase, and about 56-57% of them held energy service providers and unfavorable global effects responsible.

Only 30% of those expecting rising prices mentioned rising costs of energy producers and distributors, and a mere 8% noted lower domestic demand among the possible reasons.

The respondents could name several factors behind their forecast.

As to the state role on the energy market, SME managers were skeptical that the presence of a state player on the market would reduce prices, with almost four-fifth of them saying that a state-owned service provider cannot make its services cheaper than the others operating in the same market environment.

A total of 34% of these respondents argued that the state is not a good owner and 27% said that the state would be compelled to operate its company on a market basis.

Only 17% were of the view that the state as an owner is interested in taking out dividend to raise central budget revenue.

Policy Agenda-Ipsos surveyed 700 managers in the representative poll carried out online in September.