Two-thirds of Czechs believe that too many foreigners are working in the country

Despite the decrease in the number of people who believe that there are too many foreigners working here and that they’re taking our jobs, a majority of the population still holds that opinion Two-thirds of Czechs (66 %) believe that too many foreigners are working in our country, and only a slightly lower percentage (60 %) say that the employment of foreigners is depriving our people of jobs. Compared with last year’s survey, the proportion of citizens who agree with these opinions has fallen. As in previous years, a three-fifths majority of the population (60 %) does not agree that…

World leaders favourability ratings – June 2016

Of the world leaders selected, Pope Francis enjoyed the highest ratings among the population. In line with recent surveys, Czech citizens also have a very positive opinion of Slovak Prime Minister R. Fico. By contrast, Russian President V. Putin and primarily German Chancellor Angela Merkel have received predominantly unfavourable ratings. President of the European Commission J.-C. Juncker still remains little known among citizens. This survey was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute (www.stem.cz) on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 and over from 13 to 21 June 2016. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling…

Czech attitudes towards certain European and non-European countries (prior to Brexit, Nice, the coup attempt in Turkey and violent attacks in Germany)

Prior to Brexit, the Nice attack, the attempted coup in Turkey and violent attacks in Germany, Slovakia enjoyed the highest favourability rating among Czech citizens, with Austria in second place. The vast majority of the public also rated the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France and Croatia positively. Of the non-European countries, Japan received the highest rating. There has been no fundamental shift in attitudes since the December 2015 survey. Attitudes towards Germany and the United States have further deteriorated slightly. Hungary, Russia and Ukraine also received somewhat less favourable ratings than in the last survey and, once more,…

Czech public opinion on the direction of social policy

The June survey conducted by STEM found that slightly over half the population (56 %) would be more inclined to support families with children than to increase old-age pensions. A clear majority (70 %) calls on the state to focus primarily on expanding social services rather than on increasing social welfare payments. Society is divided into two equal camps on whether to invest additional resources in environmental protection or to increase the various social welfare payments. This survey was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute (www.stem.cz) on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 and over from…

Public still very critical of old-age pension levels

Over four-fifths of the population (83 %) do not consider the level of old-age pensions in this country to be adequate. According to almost three-quarters of citizens (74 %), the average old-age pension fails to cover the basic needs of the elderly. Four-fifths of the population (81 %) do not think that the current pension system allows people to live in dignity in their old age. Over three-fifths of respondents (63 %) believe that the political leadership of the country underestimates the provision of social security to citizens. There have been no fundamental changes in public perception of this…

Public opinion on the possible settling of refugee families in towns and villages around the country

The Czech public is divided on whether settling two or three refugee families from abroad would lead to serious problems in the town or village in which they would take up permanent residence: approximately half the population (49 %) believes that this would cause serious problems; the other half (51 %), by contrast, does not anticipate any such problems. These opinions are closely linked to the size of respondents’ place of residence; the higher the population, the lower the proportion of people who would expect serious problems to arise as a result of the arrival of refugee families. A…

The majority of Czechs believe the state should not increase unemployment benefits

Over the long term a three-quarters majority of the population (76 %) has held the view that in order to tackle unemployment the state should provide only minimal benefits to force people to find work. A similar proportion of citizens (73 %) do not believe that current levels of unemployment and social benefits provide adequate incentive for unemployed people to look for work. Two-thirds of citizens (69 %) do not think that the state should increase unemployment benefits. This survey was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute (www.stem.cz) on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18…

More people than before consider the unemployed as people who have no real interest in finding work

A clear majority of the public (70 %) believes that the state should guarantee employment for those who wish to work. Two-thirds of citizens (59 %) consider a certain level of unemployment to be a positive thing which leads to a greater respect for work. Over half the population (57 %) believes that the majority of people who are unemployed have no real interest in working, a significant increase since our last survey in 2014 (up 18 percentage points). This survey was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute (www.stem.cz) on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18…

Fear of unemployment continues to decline

Only slightly over half the economically active population (54 %) fears unemployment. A three-quarters majority of people of working age would be willing to work outside their area of qualification or expertise if faced with the prospect of losing their job (75 %) or, indeed, would even be prepared to accept a lower salary (72 %). By contrast, only two-fifths of people (41 %) would be willing to relocate for work to a different town or village in a different region. Compared with the 2014 survey, people’s willingness to work outside their area of expertise has significantly declined (by…

Willingness to grant asylum has declined; nonetheless, a majority would still grant asylum to refugees fleeing warzones

A two-thirds majority of Czech citizens (65 %) are in favour of the Czech Republic granting asylum to refugees fleeing war-torn countries. Roughly half the population (52 %) agrees that asylum should be granted to those fleeing political persecution. A minority of citizens (43 %) consider persecution on the grounds of religion or nationality to be a sufficient reason to be granted asylum. Only one-quarter of the population (24 %) is in favour of granting asylum to those fleeing a very poor economic situation in their country of origin. Compared with the 2005 survey, the proportion of those who…