Changes in Payment Patterns in Hungary During the Pandemic

Abstract

In the field of digital payments, the pandemic has brought digitalisation to layers of society that would not have been reached for years or even decades. In our study, after defining the different electronic payment options, we compare four market surveys in Hungary to investigate the extent to which the respondents' knowledge of electronic payments has changed, and how the use of cash substitutes and payment habits have changed due to the forced digitalisation caused by the pandemic. The results of our survey show that significantly more Hungarian residents are familiar with electronic payment solutions than in 2019, but a significantly higher proportion of respondents still do not manage their finances online. Most people are used to paying with cash and therefore do not turn to modern payment solutions. The pandemic as a forcing factor and the response of central and state measures have led society to make a significant step towards greater use of digital payment systems in 2020, and in 2021, this trend is expected to stagnate, not to fall back to the pre-virus situation. We found that government interventions and campaigns to support the positive processes that have been set in motion could help digital solutions to spread.