STEM has tracked trust in NATO as institution as well as the Czech public’s approval with NATO membership since 1990s. According to Czech national strategies, membership in the Alliance, which the Czech Republic joined 25 years ago, is the basis of the country’s defence capability.
Since the Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the confidence of the Czech people in NATO has never fallen below 50%. Currently, 53% of Czech citizens trust NATO, which is significantly higher than, for example, confidence in the European Union (37%). However, a higher proportion of citizens have trust in the Czech Armed Forces (62%).
Source: STEM, Trendy (“Trends” regular survey) 1994-2024 (sum of “definitely yes” and “rather yes”)
Results of regular STEM surveys conducted since the Czech Republic joined NATO show a consistent majority support for membership. The support went over 70% in 2001. In the following years, the level of approval for NATO membership remained relatively stable at around 70%. The year 2009 was an outlier: under the influence of the first Czech presidency of the European Union, pro-European attitudes strengthened, and, indirectly, the relationship with NATO also strengthened. Increased security tensions in Europe and fears of a wave of migrants probably translated into a higher level of the NATO membership approval in 2015. In the following years, the approval rates lowered back to around 70%. However, positive attitudes towards NATO membership strengthened once again after Russia invaded Ukraine. Currently, the approval level is at the level before the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
Source: STEM, Trendy 1998-2024
A majority of people agree with NATO membership across all socio-demographic groups. Still, the proportion is slightly higher among younger people (18-29 years: 76%, 30-44 years: 78%, 45-60 years: 65%, 60+ years: 65%). Furthermore, the level of agreement increases with attained education. Men are more emphatic than women in expressing their agreement, with 44% of them strongly agreeing with the membership (among women, 31% state that they “definitely” agree).
In the context of the Czech public’s attitudes towards NATO, STEM has also been tracking since 2007 whether people have trust not only in NATO as an institution but specifically also confidencein NATO’s ability to ensure the external security of the country. Currently, 61% of citizens trust NATO in this regard. What stands out in comparing the results over time is the recorded level of confidence for 2015, when, compared to previous surveys, there was a significant weakening of trust in NATO and its ability to defend the Czech Republic, probably due to the fact that at that time, the security threat was perceived mainly in the context of the migration crisis, which required a non-military solution.
Source: STEM, Trendy 2007-2024
The cited research by the STEM Research Institute (www.stem.cz) was carried out on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 and older on 18-27 January 2024. 1,057 respondents answered the questions in a combination of online and face-to-face interviews (CAWI+CAPI). The report also uses data from other surveys of the Trendy (“Trends”) regular survey, which are conducted using the same methodology on a sample of about 1,000 respondents.
