What Are Czechs Like?

Conducted in: 2012

The aim of the survey was to map the opinions of selected groups of residents of the Czech Republic on questions concerning national identity and their relationship to their motherland and its leading figures. Students in secondary and higher education participated in the poll, together with readers of Lidové noviny or Lidovky.cz.

About Citizenship

• Citizenship of the Czech Republic was cited as one of three options by 39.1% of students and 39.7% of Lidovky readers, of which as the first option 24.2% of students and 36.6% of Lidovky readers chose citizenship of the Czech Republic. For both groups, the most attractive citizenships were of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Sweden. A regional comparison shows that Scandinavian countries are markedly popular. Only 4.1% of students and 5.7% of Lidovky readers expressed an interest in citizenship of Slovakia.
• Respondents who chose citizenship other than that of the Czech Republic in first place most often said that there was a better political situation in the country in question (students 45.4%, Lidovky 43.9%). The perception of the political situation also proved an important factor in the formation of relations to the Czech Republic.
• For students (75.6%) and Lidovky readers (61.6%) the majority reason to remain Czech citizens was the fact that they have family here.
• The word “patriot” most frequently evokes pride (25.7% for students, 26.7% for Lidovky readers), followed by the relationship to their homeland, country and nation. For Lidovky readers, this term is more often thought of as an anachronism (8.4%) or linked with the National Revival (6.1%), although for students the associations are markedly less frequent (1.8% and 3.4%).
• In the case of both sets, most respondents replied that they were neither proud of nor ashamed of the Czech Republic (students 40%, Lidovky 34%). The next most frequent reply was a slight favoring of pride (students 32%, Lidovky readers 30.7%). Whereas only 3.4% of students were very ashamed, 7.6% of Lidovky readers were ashamed.

Fears of Corruption

• The biggest source of fears about future developments in the eyes of both groups of respondents was an increase in corruption in society (around 90%). Students, however, had a much greater fear of unemployment (84%), whereas for Lidovky readers (63%) it was the fourth most important factor. They both put the economic crisis in third place; for Lidovky readers, crime was a bigger topic than for students.

Patriotism—Is It a Sport?

• With regard to the relatively frequent association of patriotism and sports, the questionnaire also included questions about watching sports broadcasts. Young people watch them relatively often — more than 60% replied in the affirmative, saying that they try to watch them; almost half of Lidovky readers answered positively. A fifth of students and 27% of Lidovky readers answered negatively.

More can be found in the survey final report.

Kontakt: Gabriela Bechynská