The study is an excellent example of a German investor working with Hungarian partners to understand the local market.
The study, commissioned by Bosch Hungary and Gedeon Richter and conducted by Europion among 1,712 people aged 16 and over, was unveiled on Sept. 23 at the Richter Center. The results put health and financial security on equal footing at the top of the public’s quality-of-life priorities, each cited by 53% of respondents, followed by loving relationships with family and friends at 43%.
The main threats to well-being were financial difficulties (52%), stress and uncertainty (46%), and illness (40%). Time was also a significant concern, with 27% complaining of insufficient free time. Meanwhile, 18% cited loneliness and isolation, and 16% mentioned excessive workloads at work or school.
The survey also highlighted a gap between what people value and the habits they maintain for the long term. Some 39% said they deliberately make time for themselves and what matters to them, while the same share prioritizes adequate sleep and sleep quality. Another 38% take vitamins or dietary supplements.
Yet only 23% said they regularly attend health screenings, rising to just 33% even among the oldest respondents. Only 17% reported regular outdoor exercise, while 28% said they walk or cycle whenever possible.
The joint event brought together a German technology group with one of Hungary’s largest pharmaceutical companies around a broader question: whether innovation can help people live not only longer but better.
Bosch Group, which has its global headquarters in Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe, near Stuttgart, has 10 companies in Hungary and employed about 16,800 people at the end of 2025. Hungarian blue-chip Richter, meanwhile, operates Central Europe’s largest pharmaceutical research and development center. This was the fourth survey the German-Hungarian partnership has undertaken in as many years.
The findings suggest Hungarians are not reflexively hostile to rapid technological change. Almost half (48%) said technology clearly improves quality of life, while only around one in five believed it makes it worse. Just 7% identified the speed of technological development itself as a source of stress, despite the rapid spread of artificial intelligence and connected digital tools.
Adoption, however, remains uneven. Thirteen percent said they already use technology to make everyday life more efficient, another 13% automate repetitive tasks, and 14% regularly use AI. At the same time, 9% said they are consciously trying to reduce screen time or practice some form of digital detox. The figures point to a population that is increasingly comfortable using digital tools while also recognizing the need to manage their impact.
Healthcare emerged as one of the clearest areas where respondents want innovation to deliver tangible benefits. Better technologies for disease detection and improved diagnosis should be a priority, according to 55%. Forty-seven percent highlighted more effective medical devices and procedures, 42% backed advances in personalized medicine, and 40% emphasized home health monitoring and remote patient supervision for people with chronic or incurable conditions. Thirty-one percent specifically pointed to developing new-generation medicines.
Digital health is already becoming part of everyday behavior. Two-thirds of respondents, 66%, said they either use or are considering devices and applications such as smartwatches, smart rings, fitness apps or sleep monitors to track their health. Gábor Orbán, CEO of Gedeon Richter, said the social reception of healthcare and biotechnology matters because companies need to understand which innovations people believe can contribute most to a fuller life.
Mobility produced similarly strong support for practical technology. A large majority said they would like advanced driver-assistance systems to become standard equipment in new cars. Emergency stop assistance, which can safely pull a vehicle over if the driver becomes incapacitated, had 73% support. Driver fatigue and drowsiness monitoring followed at 72%, blind-spot and cross-traffic warning at 71%, parking assistance at 69%, and adaptive cruise control at 66%.
Attila Horváth, head of the Bosch Group in Hungary and the Adriatic region, said artificial intelligence and advanced driver-assistance systems can improve more than road safety. By saving time, reducing stress and taking over some of the burden of driving, he argued, such technologies can make a measurable contribution to everyday quality of life.
The public also expects AI to have its most credible near-term impact in sectors where the benefits are concrete. Fifty-five percent said industry is likely to gain from AI through better product quality, faster production and lower manufacturing costs. Fifty-four percent expect AI to improve healthcare through earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment, while 53% foresee further gains in mobility through smarter vehicles and traffic-management systems. Forty-six percent expect schools to teach young people how to use AI correctly.
By contrast, only 36% believe AI is likely to improve or supplement human relationships in the foreseeable future. That skepticism provides an important counterpoint to the otherwise technology-friendly findings: respondents appear more convinced by AI when its role is functional, measurable and tied to health, safety or productivity than when it enters more personal areas of life.
For Bosch and Richter, that distinction also reflects the logic of the conference. Rather than presenting longevity as a medical issue alone, the companies framed it as a combination of health, mobility, time, financial security, and social connection. The research suggests Hungarians are willing to accept technological support across many of those areas. Still, they continue to define a good life in recognizably human terms first: health, stability, and close relationships.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 2, 2026.
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