Security Forces and Czech National Bank Remain the Most Trusted Institutions
As in past years, nearly all adult residents of the Czech Republic trust the Fire Rescue Service. However, other security institutions—the Czech Police and the Czech Army—also enjoy the trust of more than three-quarters of the Czech public. The level of trust in the Czech National Bank is similarly high. In contrast, institutions associated with the exercise of political power and lawmaking have long been perceived as less trustworthy, with opinions on them strongly polarized along political preferences. The President of the Republic, however, enjoys a significantly higher level of trust than the government members and the chambers of Parliament, with more than half of citizens expressing confidence in him.
Czechs are Against Reducing Defense Spending; NATO Membership is a Priority
The reduction of defense spending is supported by less than one-fifth of Czechs; the rest would prefer an increase to the NATO average or even higher, respectively stagnation at last year’s level. Attitudes toward military spending are strongly linked to political preferences and the perception of threats to the Czech Republic’s security. The data comes from an April survey conducted by the STEM Institute for Empirical Research as part of the Trendy Series.
Public trust in the military is growing, as is support for national defense capabilities and defense spending
Global uncertainty and the lack of positive developments in Ukraine appear to be motivating Czechs to adopt a more positive attitude toward the military and investment in national defense. A January survey by the STEM Institute for Empirical Research showed that attitudes in all three areas have shifted toward greater support. However, these attitudes are strongly polarized along the lines of respondents’ political leanings.
Civil Society Organizations: Nearly 60% of the Public Values Their Role During Natural Disasters and Other Crises
Prague – There are 115,000 civil society organizations active in the Czech Republic. About one-third of the public declares trust in their work, with trust significantly higher among those who use their services and among young people. These findings come from a new survey conducted by the OSF Foundation and the STEM Institute, focusing on the state of the civic sector in the Czech Republic. The research was based on a representative survey in June 2025, complemented by secondary analysis of existing data on the civic sector.
Security Forces, the Czech National Bank and Local Authorities Remain the Most Trusted Institutions
As in past years, the Fire Rescue Service continues to enjoy the highest level of trust among Czech citizens, with 93% expressing confidence. Other security institutions – the Czech Police and the Czech Army – are trusted by about three-quarters of the public. Similarly high levels of confidence are put in the Czech National Bank and local self-governments. By contrast, institutions connected to execution of political power are consistently viewed as untrustworthy with highly polarized perception of the aforementioned along the party lines. This pattern is long-standing and not exclusive to the current political representation, an exception however, is the President of the Republic, who currently enjoys the trust of more than half of citizens.
Czechs’ Skeptical Attitudes Toward Climate Change Have Strengthened Since 2020. Knowledge of ETS2 Is Shallow, and the Public Mostly Associates It with Rising Costs and More Bureaucracy
Since 2020, there has been a gradual increase in climate-skeptical attitudes among the Czech public. According to the latest data, 43% of citizens now hold pro-climate views, 38% are skeptical, and about 19% remain uncertain. One key factor is the growing politicization of the issue, especially in connection with new emissions measures currently under discussion and in the legislative process. This is particularly evident in the debate over ETS2. Only 15% of the population know exactly what this emissions trading system entails. Supporters of Motoristé sobě, SPD (together with Svobodní, PRO, and Trikolora), and STAČILO! (SOCDEM) report above-average awareness of ETS2, reflecting the fact that these parties frequently highlight the issue in their campaigns. Overall, however, expectations of ETS2 are mostly negative: about half of the population associates it with higher costs or increased bureaucracy. Potential benefits such as cleaner heating and transport or the “polluter pays” principle resonate much less strongly. These positive aspects are more often acknowledged among supporters of SPOLU, STAN, and the Pirates (with the Greens), where pro-climate voters are more prevalent.
Electoral tendencies of the Czech public – AUGUST 2025 – Weekly election model – week 34
The STEM research institute has been monitoring the development of voting preferences on a weekly basis since the beginning of the year. We now present a more detailed report on the situation in the second half of August.
The development of support for all political parties since the beginning of the year has been, not only in STEM models, very modest so far. The main dynamics in this year’s pre-election campaign have so far been driven by the alliances forming around SPD, STAČILO!, and the Pirates. About a month before the elections, we are entering the main phase of the campaign, which may—and likely will—bring a greater dynamic, culminating on election day itself. After all, roughly two-fifths of people declare that they decide whether to participate in the election only a month before the elections, and similarly, up to half of those who turn out only choose their favored party in the final month.
If parliamentary elections were held now, the ANO movement would win by a large margin, securing 31% of the vote. The movement has slightly weakened compared to the beginning of the year. Despite the bitcoin affair, the SPOLU coalition still holds second place, remaining just under 21% support. SPD, in cooperation with three smaller parties, stays in third place with nearly 13%. STAN would currently receive 10% of the vote. Support for the Pirates, in cooperation with the Greens, is almost 9%. The STAČILO! movement, in alliance with SOCDEM, has weakened to 6.5%. After a longer period, Motoristé sobě would reach 5%, placing them at the threshold required to enter the Chamber of Deputies.
Measuring Solidarity: New Index Demonstrates How Czechs Help Each Other
How strong is the solidarity among the Czech public? How many people engage in volunteering activities without expecting a reward? How much money do we donate and to what causes? And what our attitudes are towards volunteering, donating and solidarity in general? These questions are being answered by a large-scale survey conducted by STEM and supported by Donio Foundation. Its main outcome is historically the first Solidarity Index – a litmus paper for charitable engagement of the Czech Society, that STEM is planning to conduct on a yearly basis, thus observing trends in volunteering engagement and donations. A dedicated accompanying website has also been launched alongside the index.
The Czech public feels growing fatigue towards the war in Ukraine, but anti-Ukrainian sentiments are not on the rise
The January 2025 survey of the STEM Research Institute shows a slight revival of interest of the Czech public in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Yet, war coverage has not been one of the main topics of interest for most people for some time already. Czechs overwhelmingly want a quick end to the war in Ukraine. Among the most preferred scenarios for ending the war are solutions that would provide Ukraine with security guarantees, even if the country does not regain all the territories occupied by Russia. Only a small part of the public considers as the most probable the complete victory of Ukraine or, on the contrary, its full surrender. Most people see the loss of eastern Ukraine as the most likely outcome of the war. Attitudes towards Czech military aid to Ukraine are divided – almost half of the Czech public sees it as too high, while about a third consider it adequate.
A stable majority of people (54% in January 2025) have supported the stay of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic in recent years. Still, Czechs remain wary of the refugees, perceiving them as a threat rather than an asset to society – even if this sentiment is gradually shifting towards a more conciliatory attitude. While the public generally supports easy integration of Ukrainians into the labour market, there is a prevailing belief that the number of arriving refugees should be capped, and that the state should ensure that the Ukrainians who currently are in the country return to Ukraine. The integration of refugees into the labour market is perceived by more people as successful than unsuccessful, while language and cultural integration are perceived as less successful. Thus, reservations about refugee integration are more likely to be linked to concerns about language barriers or culture differences rather than job competition. Criticism of the Czech government in relation to refugees is quite widespread – the feeling that it has done more for Ukrainians than for its own citizens clearly prevails. Overall, Czech society seems to be taking an increasingly pragmatic approach to Ukrainian refugees, with an emphasis on their active inclusion.
35 Years of Czech Democracy
This November marks the 35th anniversary of the November 1989 Velvet Revolution, which brought about the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. On this occasion, STEM Research Institute has prepared an overview of the attitudes of the Czech public towards the values of democracy and freedom, the development of Czech society after 1989, and the changes that this development has brought to Czech society. The following text draws on both STEM time series dating back to the first half of the 1990s, as well as a current survey of the Czech public from September 2024.
