Economical

In June survey CVVM focused on prestige of some professions in eyes of Czech public. All respondents were shown a list with 26 professions and they were instructed: „There are some professions on a list. Please choose a profession you respect the most and write there 99 points, then choose the one you respect the least a write there 1 point. Afterwards add to other profession points from 02 to 98 according to you opinion.

In June survey CVVM SOÚ AV ČR, v.v.i., used a question that was focused on public evaluation of Czech economic transformation after year 1989. Other questions asked Czech citizens about reasons why they suppose the economic transformation to be successful or unsuccessful. As a part of this press information the answers are sorted according to sociodemographic indicators of the addressed sample of population.

In April survey CVVM investigated subjective opinions of Czechs about living standard of their households. First questions were focused on objective evaluation of this topic, respondents were asked to say whether they suppose their household to be rich or poor and whether they had problems to live on from their salaries and whether their household was in financial crisis last year. Following question was used to investigate whether it is difficult to meet some life requirements such as foodstuff, clothes and shoes, housing, water and energy, furniture, common non-food products, cultural and sport activities, health care and education.

In April survey CVVM was also interested in public evaluation of some social conditions in the Czech Republic. Our interviewers asked respondents how they evaluate this situation in following areas in our country: chance to get a flat, financial conditions to start a family, chances to have children, social security for the elderly, chance to work or to be employed, access to health care and access to education.

20 % of citizens regard taxation on high-income earners as high, 24 % say it is adequate and 43 % think it is low. Taxation on average-income earners is considered to be high by 47 % of respondents, adequate by 42 % and low by 2 % of citizens. Taxation on low-income earners was supposed to be high by two thirds of people (66 %), adequate by 23 % and low by 2 %. 71 % of respondents think that tax rate should be higher for high-income earners than for low-income earners.

Citizens of Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland evaluate present economic situation in their respective countries similarly. In all three cases the share of positive expressions was about quarter and the portion of critical evaluation amounted to three tenths. Quite different is the evaluation made by Hungarians when two thirds of them judge the present economic situation in Hungary as bad.

Czech citizens identified material living conditions of their households mainly as good and in comparison with other three countries where the similar survey was made Czech evaluation is the best.

Three fifths of Czech citizens (61 %) consider current inflation to be acceptable, on contrary roughly one fifth of people (21 %) share the opposite opinion. Present evaluation of inflation has been historically the most positive since 1993, when this survey started.

71 % of Czech citizens evaluate current economic level of the Czech Republic positively, when 3 % indicate it as very good and 68 % appraise it as rather good. On contrary 28 % of citizens judge economic level of the Czech Republic critically, when 26 % of these indicate it as rather bad and 2 % see it as very bad. On a ladder with other nine monitored states, Czech Republic took the third place ahead of all post-socialist countries, when the first and second position is occupied by Germany and Austria.

Over 80 % of respondents agreed with support of flexible working time or with support of part time job for parents with little children, with marriage loan and with tax cut for people with children. Support of prolongation of maternity holiday with 69 % of salary and common taxation, children benefit rise and running of public nursery at every primary school was expressed by 70 - 80 % of people.

Government expenditure on social policy in general and in partial areas is evaluated as rather low than high. The exception is unemployment benefit, where number of those who consider government expenditure as low (26 %) is little bit lower than number of those who suppose it to be high (29 %) or who find it adequate (33 %). According to 42 % of respondents the government takes care of social situation in appropriate way while 45 % of respondents find the Government's focus on social situation of citizens too low and 7 % of respondents suppose it to be exaggerated.