Relations, Attitudes

The research showed that the attitude of the Czech public towards employing foreigners is not clear cut in this country: 45 % of respondents think it is correct, a similar number - 44 % have an opposite opinion. Most respondents believe that a cheap foreign labour force represents a threat to employing Czech citizens (82 %) and that the employing of foreigners in areas with high unemployment should be cut down (81 %).

Almost three quarters of respondents agree on the fact that foreigners should have the possibility of gaining long-term residence in the Czech Republic, but only under certain conditions. The opinion that foreigners should not be given the possibility to stay here on a long-term basis was expressed by 17 % of respondents and on the other hand residence without restrictions would be enabled by 6 % of respondents.

The absolute majority of citizens feel proud of the Czech Republic in connection with sport (91 %), culture (89 %), history (88 %) and a little less with science and technology (77 %). Other reasons as a source for feeling national esteem are seen only by a minority of the population: in case of armed forces it is 41 %, functioning of democracy or relation to foreigners 38 %, in case of political influence in the world 32 %, in relation to social welfare 25 % and in case of economic results it is a mere 11 %.

For many activities connected with caring for children the most frequent situation is that both parents jointly share these or take turns depending on who has time at that point, and generally it applies that the proportion of both parents’ taking a share in individual activities connected with caring for children is higher in families of the current generation than it used to be in families of the previous generation.

According to the answers provided, Czechs most often look after the household together, as stated by three fifths of men and almost a half of women. Only a small proportion of men said that most care for the household was placed on them. A quarter of men admitted that their partners do the most in looking after the household, however a third of women believe that they themselves do the most in looking after the household.

35.4 % of respondent according to their own words experienced discrimination at work. The most frequent reasons for the feeling of being disadvantaged were age (47.2 percentage points out of one hundred), education (38.6 percentage points out of one hundred) and sex (34.5 percentage points out of one hundred). Health condition was quoted as the reason for discrimination by less than 21 respondents out of a hundred and nationality or race by 2 respondents out of a hundred.

The respondents consider their family environment to be the most important part of their lives: the family was rated as very important by 83 %, the children by 72 % and the partner by 71 % of citizens. Parents are very important for about two thirds of respondents (68 %). For most of the people, work represents a high value - for 54 % of people it is very important, for 31 % quite important. Similarly but a little less, respondents value friends - for 51 % of respondents friends play an important role, for 40 % quite an important role in their lives.

Premarital sexual activities are judged by the Czech public in a very tolerant way, almost 50 % of respondents think that such relations are usually good and another 33 % consider them as always being good. A total of 11 % of respondents were against “sex before marriage” (regarded as mostly or always bad).

On the other hand, the attitude towards adultery in marriage is not as tolerant, 34 % see it as always bad and 48 % of respondents as mostly bad.

Today, more than a half of respondents (56 %) express satisfaction with their personal life, 29 % are "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied" and with 14 % dissatisfaction dominates. In the last five years these figures have changed only minimally. The survey also focused on prevalence of optimism and scepticism from the point of view of the respondents’ own future, and future of those close to them, the future of the population of the CZ and mankind as such.

The March survey touched on the problem of tolerance in society, the understanding, which is shown to various specific social groups. Respondents were asked to choose which of such groups they would not want to have as neighbours. From their response it became obvious that people have the most reserved attitude towards the worst-form of alcoholics (86 %) and drug users (85 %). Citizens of Romany origin are often (79 %) rejected as well as people with a criminal past (78 %).