Work, Income, Living Level

From all social conditions included in the survey people evaluate mostly positively only the accessibility of education (79 % positively, 14 % critically) and the health care (65 % : 32 %). All other monitored areas of social conditions - i.e. a chance to get a flat (21 % positively, 74 % critically), financial situation to start a family with children (23 % : 72 %), social security for the elderly (17 % : 71 %), life conditions for the handicapped (19 % : 61 %) and a chance to get a job (31 % : 65 %) - are evaluated largely critically.

5 % of citizens indicated their household to be "rather rich", whilst 28 % consider it to be "rather" (24 %) or "very" (4 %) poor. Almost two thirds of respondents (65 %) regard their household as neither rich nor poor. Problems with current budget of their household were stated by 58 % of respondents, on the other hand 36 % said they have no problems with budget of the household.

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In September CVVM survey within project Our Society 2006 focused on public attitudes of Czech citizens to employment. Almost all economically active citizens wish to have certain employment they would enjoy. For 84 % of respondents the certainty of employment is very important. More than 90 % of citizens suppose employment that brings them high income to be important. Most of working respondents (more than 80 %) feel that their job is important for society and they enjoy it.

Survey proved that medicine keep constantly its eminent position among other professions as the occupation with a high prestige. 45 % of respondents regard the physician as a top occupation out of 26 monitored professions and the average evaluation of a medical profession was significantly higher than average evaluations of a scientist or a university professor, which were as prestigious professions placed on second and third rank.

Two thirds of Czech employees are satisfied with their jobs. On the other hand 3 out of 10 economically active Czechs are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their jobs, job dissatisfaction was expressed only by 5% of economically active citizens. Almost 8 out of 10 economically active respondents are satisfied with using their professional skills at work, with interpersonal relationships at workplace, with job attractivity and with working hours/shifts.

Seven out 10 economically active citizens (69 %) would try to look for concrete job in case they lost their job, almost a quarter of working respondents (28%) would be willing to accept any job in such situation. In September 2006 number of those who would accept any job they were offered was the lowest since year 2003 when this question was used for the first time. Work demands such as work training and qualification, work overtime or faster pace of work are supposed to be acceptable when taking up a job.

As a part of September survey carried out by CVVM SOÚ AV ČR there were some questions focused on unemployment. Unemployment in the Czech Republic is supposed to be too high by almost 6 out of 10 Czech citizens (58%) older 15 years, a third of respondents (35%) consider it as adequate and only 1 % of respondents think the level of unemployment is too low. Almost a half of Czech public (47%) think that level of unemployment will remain unchanged.

7 % of citizens indicated their household to be "rather rich", whilst 30 % consider it to be "rather" (24 %) or "very" (6 %) poor. Almost two thirds of respondents (62 %) regard their household as neither rich nor poor. Problems with current budget of their household were stated by 60 % of respondents, on the other hand 36 % said they have no problems with budget of the household. People see accessibility of education and health care mostly positively, but all other monitored areas of social conditions are evaluated largely critically.

November survey embraced questions about public opinions on reasons why some people live in poverty in Czech Republic. Respondents had to choose among statements about people living in poverty and say which statement is true.

The statement “some people live in poverty, because they lost their jobs“ was supported by more than two thirds of respondents. Same number of respondents think that some people live in poverty, because they do not want to work.

When considering fairness of some principles connected with income differences, people most positively evaluated income differences, which come from labour efficiency, difficulty or laboriousness of job and acquired qualification. On contrary equality of income is supposed to be the least equitable principle. The most of Czech society (72 %) share an opinion that state should struggle to lower differences between poor and rich people, 21 % of Czechs share opposite opinion.