Education and Support for the Czech Reforms

Educated Czechs fared poorly during the communist regime (1948-89) but have
done relatively well since the Velvet Revolution. This phase change is consistent
with transition theory and suggests that educated Czechs may be more supportive
of the postcommunist reforms as a consequence. To test this hypothesis, the
authors examined 11 national surveys (1990-98) of Czech respondents to determine
if economic standing and other controls explained the relation between
education and attitudes about the country's reforms. They also tested whether
the effects of education interacted with phases of the reforms. The results showed
that better-educated respondents enjoyed an economic advantage, supportive of
transition theory. However, this advantage and other controls did not explain the
significant effects of education on attitudes about the Czech reforms. These patterns
were stable during the survey period with one exception, as indicated by
education * time interaction terms. These findings suggest that values associated
with education may play a role in attitudes about postcommunist reforms independent
of economic standing, expanding the view that economic experiences
during postcommunist reforms differentiate attitudes about them.