Press releases

When comparing the actual data and the ideal there is a certain problem lying in the fact that while the survey covers respondents of all age categories over 15 years of age, people involved in reproduction are aged mostly between 20 to 35 years of age. Therefore, the opinions of the youngest respondents, in our case people under 30, are decisive. Compared with the other respondents, this group also partially differed in its opinions, when they more often consider 30 years or more to be the ideal age of newly-weds and mothers of the first child.

In the January Public Opinion Research Centre survey, a question from the ISSP international survey, which took place in the Czech Republic in 1999, was used. The target was to establish if and how the opinions of the public about premarital and out-of-marriage sex as well as sex between partners of the same sex had changed. Premarital sexual activities were valued in the most tolerant way, out-of-marriage sexual relations of married women and men are not seen that forgivingly.

Citizens still have the persisting concept of a man – the breadwinner and on the other hand a woman looking after the household and children. Particularly, the man should financially support the family. Then there are activities, which should be carried out by both partners, or should belong more to men – pursuit of a professional career, further education, getting involved in social functions, initiative in sex, hobbies.

The floods became the most significant event of early 2003, followed by the developments connected with the end of the presidential mandate of Václav Havel. The third position was taken by the planned attack of the USA and Great Britain on Iraq, the NATO Summit in Prague and the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union. These developments were closely followed by the election. The importance of foreign political events grew in January, despite the fact that the planned attack on Iraq was the only development to make it to the ‘big’ foreign and political events with a minimum of 5% reflection.

The relations with Poland (89 %) and Slovakia (89 %) are most frequently considered to be good. Moreover, there is a relatively high share of positive opinions concerning relations with Hungary (82 %) and Germany (79 %). Relations with Austria are seen significantly less favourably, (where 48 % of respondents rate them as good and 49 % view them negatively).

Relations with Poland and Slovakia are considered to be good on a steady basis.

According to the Czech public, in the current situation it is necessary to maintain stability, peace and not to proceed without the approval of other countries on the Security Council. Only 24% of CZ citizens support a military attack on Iraq, which has been the lowest registered degree of consent since the start of US efforts to continue the fight against terrorism in this way. Two thirds of respondents are against the attack.

At the beginning of January, decisions of the population in the referendum on the entry of the country to the European Union and their opinions on the implemented pre-accession talks were surveyed in these three countries. The intention to participate in the referendum about accession to the European Union was stated by 79 % of the Czech population, but only 42 % of those asked firmly decided to participate.

The results of the survey show that none of the current pretenders to the post of the president enjoys prevailing support of the public. In case of all the monitored candidates, whom the respondents considered for the post of the president individually, the number of adversaries was always higher than the number of supporters. The relatively highest preferences of all the considered persons were achieved by Otakar Motejl and Petr Pithart (both 43 %), followed by Václav Klaus (35 %), Miloš Zeman (29 %), Jaroslav Bureš (25 %), Jaroslava Moserová (16 %) and Miroslav Kříženecký (12 %).

All respondents having the right to vote were traditionally asked an open question (i.e. without a list of political parties being used) investigating which party they would vote for if an election to the Chamber of Deputies took place the following week. The structure of the answers given is summarised in the table.

The question ‘Imagine that an election to the Chamber of Deputies is held next week.

The Public Opinion Research Centre was investigating the decision-making of the electorate throughout the ‘super election’ year 2002. With the benefit of hindsight, we would like to compare how voters made their decisions prior to the June election to the Chamber of Deputies and the autumn elections to the Senate and municipalities. At which stage of the election campaigns did voters decide whom to vote for? Do they decide in the last minute or do they know well in advance whom to support? In the event of elections to the Senate and municipalities, decisions on who will get my vote are made significantly later than in elections to the Chamber of Deputies.