The optimism which was brought about by changes on the political landscape after the 2013 early parliamentary elections is waning. This has manifested itself in a slight decline in public satisfaction with day-to-day politics. The work of the prime minister, parliament and government was rated somewhat lower than in the previous survey. Nonetheless, the prime minister’s work and government activities were among the more favourably rated areas of life in Czech society. By contrast, the president’s approval ratings have gone up significantly, with almost half the population giving him top grades (a one or two) in the latest survey for his work in office. This puts public satisfaction with the president’s work and that of the local and municipal authorities ahead of the other highest rated areas by a large margin. The areas which have been consistently rated poorly over the years are, in particular, the results of privatisation, the standard of living of the elderly and young families, the activities of political parties and honesty in doing business.
The survey cited here was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 and over from 11 to 19 January 2016. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method, with some 1,015 people taking part in the survey.
Every year in January STEM asks citizens to write up a school report for the previous year. They are asked to rate the various areas of life in Czech society using the school grading system, i.e. to give grades on a scale of one to five, with one being the best grade and five being the worst.
Again, we will look at 2015 from two perspectives. An overview of the report card shows the current ranking of problems in our society, while a long-term comparison of the current situation with results from previous years gives an indication of major trends in development.
1. Ranking of society’s problems
The municipal authorities consistently score the highest, with roughly half the population rating their work with a score of one or two. The work of the president has the second highest rating which represents a significant change compared with last year. We will return to this later. People are also relatively satisfied with the quality of the health care services, the work of the regional authorities, the prime minister’s work, opportunities for self-realisation and the provision of civil liberties.
The environment, the work of the government, protection of citizens’ safety, education, the effectiveness of administrative services at public offices and the development of democracy also received relatively high ratings in the survey.
As is the case every year, privatisation fares the worst in terms of public satisfaction (almost 70 % of citizens give privatisation a four or five). Nonetheless, this rating does not really reflect the events of the past year, but dates way back. A high proportion of the population is also dissatisfied with the standard of living of the elderly (three-fifths of respondents gave this a score of four or five). Honesty in doing business, the standard of living of young families, the opportunity to influence public affairs and the activities of political parties also all received a low average grade (roughly 3.5).
2. Development trends
Compared with the 2014 ratings, there are no substantial changes in the public’s assessment of the majority of areas. For instance, ratings are almost identical to last year for protection of citizens’ safety, the work of the regional, town and local authorities, the quality of health care services, the environment and standard of living of young families. Nevertheless, there are a number of exceptions which relate primarily to the area of politics.
Source: STEM, Trends 1/2016, 1015 respondents
The most significant changes were seen in the ratings of the president’s work. In January 2015 the president’s ratings were relatively contradictory, with almost a third of the population giving him a grade one or two and, at the opposite end of the scale, over two-fifths giving him a grade four or five. This meant that with an average grade of 3.3, the president’s work in 2014 was ranked among those areas with average satisfaction ratings. In the current survey, however, the proportion of people who gave the president a one or two for his work in 2015 increased substantially, bringing the president’s average grade up to 2.7 and putting him second place overall on the population satisfaction chart. This is in keeping with STEM’s other findings, according to which slightly over half the population (53 %) expressed their trust in President Miloš Zeman in December 2015, compared with 42 % in January 2015.
Source: STEM, Trends 2014–2016
*Note: 1 = excellent; 2 = commendable; 3 = good; 4 = sufficient; 5 = insufficient.
Equivalent to A, B, C, D and E in the British system and A, B, C, D and F in the US system.
Although satisfaction with the president’s work has increased across all socio-demographic groups, the increase was lowest among university graduates. This group is evidently less likely now to give the president a positive approval rating than one year ago (in last year’s survey the differences between the different education categories were not so apparent).
*Secondary School Leaving Certificate,
equiv. A Levels in the UK, High School Diploma in the US
Source: STEM, Trends 2015/1, 2016/1
From a long-term perspective, the current level of satisfaction with President Miloš Zeman’s work is at a similar level to President Václav Klaus’s approval rating during his second term of office (leaving aside the historical low at the end of Klaus’s mandate as a repercussion of the controversial amnesty he granted before leaving office).
The gradual improvement recorded in the parliament’s approval ratings last year following the 2013 early elections has now petered out.
Source: STEM, Trends 2001-2016
(the survey is carried out in January each year, and respondents rate the previous year)
Note: 1 = excellent; 2 = commendable; 3 = good; 4 = sufficient; 5 = insufficient.
Equivalent to A, B, C, D and E in the British system and A, B, C, D and F in the US system.
As is the case with the parliament and other areas of day-to-day politics, the survey finds some slight disillusionment among the public which usually sets in when post-election optimism begins to diminish. Nonetheless, while government approval ratings and satisfaction with the domestic political situation has only slightly deteriorated since last January, the drop in the prime minister’s average grades has been more pronounced. However, satisfaction with the prime minister’s performance is still among the more highly rated areas of life in Czech society.
Source: STEM, Trends 2001-2016
(the survey is carried out in January each year, and respondents rate the previous year)
Note: 1 = excellent; 2 = commendable; 3 = good; 4 = sufficient; 5 = insufficient.
Equivalent to A, B, C, D and E in the British system and A, B, C, D and F in the US system.
Source: STEM, Trends 2001-2016
(the survey is carried out in January each year, and respondents rate the previous year)
Compared with the 2014 ratings, we can also observe a moderate increase in ratings in terms of public satisfaction with being able to secure their rights through the judicial system and with the area of social security. Satisfaction with privatization also improved slightly, although this area unequivocally remains the most negatively rated area.
Source: STEM, Trends 2001-2016
(the survey is carried out in January each year, and respondents rate the previous year)
Source: STEM, Trends 2001-2016
(the survey is carried out in January each year, and respondents rate the previous year)
The graph illustrates a moderate decline in positive ratings for future prospects. This decline, along with a decrease in satisfaction with day-to-day politics, indicates a definitive level of concern about the future by a section of the population.