Economical

In January 2019 survey the Public Opinion Research Centre examined a set of issues relating to money lending and debt repayment. Respondents were specifically asked whether they had borrowed anything in the last ten years, what loans they are currently repaying, those who owe money were asked, whether it is difficult, or easy to be repaying their loans, and how they evaluate the importance of generating financial reserves in their household.

In January 2019, the Public Opinion Research Centre investigated views on the problem of indebtment. We surveyed the opinion on the level of indebtment among the Czech citizens and on the level of indebtment of the Czech state. With regard to these two fields of indebtment, we also asked questions about how serious a problem the current level of indebtment poses to the Czech people.

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Since February 1997 CVVM has been examined what people think about the economic standard of our country compared to nine other European countries.

The current economic level of the Czech Republic is seen more positive (78%) than negative (20%). In comparison to other nine countries included in the survey, the Czech Republic took the third place behind Germany and Austria. Compared to the previous survey from January 2017 the evaluation of the economic level of the Czech Republic has got somewhat better.

In its November survey the Center for Public Opinion Research focused on some issues related to the pension system and pension reform. Within this thematic block respondents were presented three pairs of opposing statements expressing general attitudes to the different characteristics of the pension system. Respondents expressed their position through a five-point scale, where point 1 meant identification with the first of a pair of opposing statements and point 5, on the contrary, featured complete shift to the second statement. Individual claims were related to contradiction between principle of solidarity and merit in the pension system, whether financial security of retired people should be ensured by state or by the citizens themselves and whether the pension system in its current form is just or unjust.

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In November, the Public Opinion Research Center of the Academy of Sciences interviewed citizens of the Czech Republic on topic of financial security in pension. Questions were focused not only on subjective concerns over lack of economic resources or trust in welfare state but also on actual preparations, namely investments and savings.

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In November, the Public Opinion Research Centre asked a set of questions related to attitudes of the Czech citizens towards the retirement system in the Czech Republic.

Questions focused mainly on the current condition of the retirement system and its possible changes. Respondents also expressed level of their support for concrete measures and actions within the retirement system. The last question focused on the opinion whether the received finances from the social security system can cover funding of the pensions.

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According to November 2018 survey of the Public Opinion Research Centre 16% of citizens regard taxation on high-income earners as high, 28% say it is adequate and 45% think it is low.

Taxation on average-income earners is considered to be high by 39% of respondents, adequate by 49% and low by 4% of citizens.

Taxation on low-income earners was supposed to be high by 60%, adequate by 27% and low by 4%.

58% of respondents think that tax rate should be higher for high-income earners than for low-income earners.

The November 2018 survey of the Public Opinion Research Centre included issues related to social policy. It surveyed citizens' views on that how much the individual areas of social policy are secured.

At the same time the block of questions included an item, in which citizens had to comment the social policy as a whole. It also examined public preferences concerning allocation of public funds.

November research focused on priorities in funding of some individual areas of social policy from the state budget. Respondents should sort ten selected areas of social policy from the most important area to the least important area for them.

Citizens perceive as the top priority the area of healthcare, followed by pensions and social security in sickness or in case of injury.

In November, the Public Opinion Research Centre asked a set of questions related to attitudes of the Czech citizens towards social policy.

Questions investigated opinions of the Czech public on the involvement of the state and the citizens themselves to funding the sphere of social policy. Other questions focused on whether the current distribution of responsibilities is divided equally between state and citizens. Finally, we were interested in opinion on the fair distribution of benefits and abuse of the social security system.

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