Czech citizens have the best relationship with Slovakia, with 86 % of the population giving Slovakia a ‘one’ or a ‘two’ on a scale of one to five, with one being the most positive rating. Austria (72 %), the Netherlands (71 %), Sweden, France and the United Kingdom (all at 70 %) also received high ratings from the vast majority of the public. When compared to a previous survey carried out in 2013, the attitude of Czech citizens to the majority of western European countries has deteriorated, most evidently in the case of Germany. Ukraine (24 %), China (25 %), Russia (30 %), Serbia (31 %) and the newly included Turkey (15 %) fared the worst in the ratings.
The STEM survey cited here was carried out on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 years and over from 3 to 11 December 2015. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method, with 1,014 people taking part in the survey. Information from STEM Trends survey 12/2015.
Since 1994 STEM has been regularly monitoring the attitudes of our citizens towards certain countries in Europe and the world powers. The December 2015 survey indicated a significant shift in the attitudes of the Czech public to certain countries when compared to a previous survey carried out in 2013. This shift is most likely linked to the current situation in Europe and to the refugee crisis.
First, let us sum up the current results. Respondents were asked to rate their relationship with the various countries on a scale of one to five, with one being the most positive. Slovakia clearly rated the highest, with 86 % of respondents rating the country at one or two. Citizens also gave Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and the United Kingdom positive ratings, with roughly 70 % of citizens giving them a one or a two. More than half of respondents surveyed also favorably rated Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Japan and Slovenia. Roughly fifty percent of the population rated their relationship with Poland and Germany favourably, giving them scores of one and two. Turkey fared the worst, receiving the most ‘bad’ marks (Turkey was included for the first time in this survey). Few positive ratings were also given to the United States, Serbia, Russia, China and Ukraine.
When compared to the 2013 survey, there has been a significant drop in positive ratings, primarily in the case of Czech attitudes towards Germany (represented by a downward slide on an imaginary country popularity chart). This change likely reflects the attitudes of Czech citizens towards Germany’s migrant policy and skepticism by the Czech public as to whether Germany can manage to handle the refugee crisis. However, as reflected in the chart, the situation in Europe has also affected the public’s relationship with other western European countries, with countries such as Belgium, Denmark and Sweden, in particular, experiencing a fall in positive ratings when compared to the previous study. The Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom were also rated less favourably, but not significantly. Besides a worsening of their relationship with European countries, the Czech public’s attitude towards the United States has also deteriorated.
By contrast, there has been an improvement in the public’s relationship with Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. China also received a slightly better rating, although it still remains among those countries with the lowest ratings.
When comparing the recent survey to that carried out in 2013, it is also worth noting that Russia’s proportion of positive ratings has remained unchanged.
Country popularity chart
“I’m going to read you the names of various countries and, using the school grading system, I’d like you to rate your relationship with them on a scale of one (most favourable) to five (least favourable).”
Rating in % (school grades: one = best relationship, five = worst relationship)
Source: STEM, Trends 2015/12, 1014 respondents
Country popularity comparison from 2013 and 2015
“I’m going to read you the names of various countries and, using the school grading system, I’d like you to rate your relationship with them on a scale of one (most favourable) to five (least favourable).”
Proportion of 1 + 2 grades in % (school grades: one = best relationship, five = worst relationship)
Source: STEM, Trends 2013/10, 2015/12
The following graph, which plots the attitudes of Czech citizens towards Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States for a period of over twenty years, clearly shows a dramatic deterioration in the ratings of these countries in the latest survey, most notably in the case of Germany. This drop in ratings is similar to that experienced in 2004 when our accession to the European Union generated widespread public discourse on defending the national interest (at that time US policy in the Middle East, and in Iraq in particular, certainly had an impact on attitudes towards the United States).
Development in the ratings of the selected countries (1994-2015)
(Ratings using the school grading system: one = best relationship, five = worst relationship; proportion of 1 + 2 grades in %)
Source: STEM, Trends 1994-2015
Let us focus now in greater detail on the development of the population’s relationship with Germany. The analysis shows that in comparison with 2013, attitudes towards Germany have worsened among the university-educated population in particular. Whereas, in the past, attitudes towards Germany were strongly linked to level of educational attainment, attitudes are now almost identical for respondents in all educational categories. With respect to age, there was a drop in positive ratings for Germany in all the age categories, with the least significant drop recorded among respondents aged 45-59.
Differences in attitudes towards Germany by education (2013 and 2015)
(Proportion of 1+2 grades in %)
Source: STEM, Trends 2015/12, 1014 respondents
* Maturita = Secondary School Leaving Certificate,equiv. A Levels in the UK, High School Diploma in the US.
Differences in attitudes towards Germany by age (2013 and 2015)
(Proportion of 1+2 grades in %)
Source: STEM, Trends 2015/12, 1014 respondents