Economic Development

According to January regular survey, 58 % of Czechs are convinced the financial crisis will affect their personal situation or the situation of their households, 29 % have opposite expectations. Two thirds (67%) of population are interested in course of events connected with the financial crisis and 85 % expect negative impact of crisis to economic development of the Czech Republic. One quarter of population (26%) thinks, the response of Czech government to the crisis is good, 45 % consider it as bad, and 29 % do not know.

In January 2009 CVVM investigated, how Czech citizens evaluate material living conditions of their households and economic situation in the Czech republic, as well. Comapred to previous years the expectations towards the future economic situation are skeptical. 81 % of informants (the highest result ever - 2nd highest was 50 % in january 2004) thought that the economic situation of the Czech republic would get worse in the next year and 49 % were afraid about the future economic situation of their households.

According to December survey 58 % of Czechs are concerned with the situation regarding present world financial crisis, 41 % do not care about it. 78 % expect negative impact of crisis to economic development in the Czech Republic. 40 % see the reaction of Czech government to present situation as bad, 28 % expressed opposite meaning. 61 % would support state’s financial bailout to firms in danger of breakdown caused by crisis.

In June 2008 CVVM investigated, how Czech citizens evaluate material living conditions of their households and economic situation in our country, as well. Survey on this theme was also carried out in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

9 % of citizens regard taxation on high-income earners as high, 20 % say it is adequate and 61 % think it is low. Taxation on average-income earners is considered to be high by 47 % of respondents, adequate by 42 % and low by 4 % of citizens. Taxation on low-income earners was supposed to be high by 72 %, adequate by 18 % and low by 3 %. 75 % of respondents think that tax rate should be higher for high-income earners than for low-income earners.

As a part of June survey CVVM used some questions concerning current evaluation and expectation of near future development of country's economic situation and material living conditions of households. Within CEORG organization similar surveys are also regularly realized in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. This press information offers comparison of their basic results.

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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.

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.