More than a third of Czech citizens (37 %) are satisfied with how democracy works in this country. An almost identical proportion of the population (38 %) agrees that the current political parties guarantee democratic politics. Current figures are somewhat higher than they were in 2011 and 2013 when the number of citizens who gave positive answers was very low. According to a two-thirds majority of citizens (69 %), the development of democracy is primarily the responsibility of capable and professional politicians. Half (50 %) of the population agrees that the success of democracy depends largely on the activities of ordinary citizens. These attitudes have not changed in recent years.The survey cited here was conducted by the STEM non-profit institute (www.stem.cz) on a representative sample of the Czech population aged 18 and over from 16 to 23 March 2016. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method, with some 1,050 people taking part in the survey.Since the beginning of the nineties, STEM has been focusing on the attitudes of the population towards the quality of democracy in this country.According to the current survey, over one-third (37 %) of the population is satisfied with the state of democracy in the Czech Republic. A similar proportion of citizens (38 %) believe that current political parties guarantee democratic politics.
Source: STEM, Trends 3/2016, 1050 respondents aged 18 +
We can see a similar trend in the population’s assessment of the way democracy works and in its perception of political parties as a guarantee of democracy. The period of relative satisfaction with the way democracy works (approximately 50 %) and the positive assessment of political parties as a guarantee of democracy in this country (roughly 60 %) ended around 1996-98 when the independent Czech state was faced its first crisis of a more serious nature. Since then there has been a gradual decline in satisfaction, suspended temporarily by slight increases in optimism periodically seen after the election of new political representatives in parliamentary elections (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010). We recorded the least number of positive responses to date from 2011 until the early elections in 2013. This applied to both of the questions. During this period our surveys showed that roughly a quarter of citizens were satisfied with the way democracy worked and one-third agreed that the political parties of the time ensured democratic politics.Following the elections in 2013, the level of satisfaction with the way democracy works saw a change for the better, as seen in the survey conducted April 2014. However, the most recent findings demonstrate a slight shift in opinion since the last survey: while satisfaction with the way democracy works has returned to its 2014 level after last year’s decline, public opinion on the democratic functioning of political parties has remained at the same level as last year.
Source: STEM, Trends 1993-2016
Source: STEM, Trends 1992-2016
Young people (43 % positive responses) and university graduates (47 %) tend to be more satisfied with the way democracy works. This is also true for right-wing voters (45 %) and supporters of TOP 09, ANO and the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL). Communist Party (KSČM) supporters are strongly critical of the state of democracy, as are – to a lesser extent – Civic Democrat (ODS) voters. University graduates (48 %) tend to be more favourable in their assessment of the current political parties than other educational groups. The largely negative attitude of Communist Party supporters, in particular, towards the current political parties once again sets them apart from those of other political affiliations.
Source: STEM, Trends 3/2016, 1050 respondents aged 18 +
Note: Given their low representation in the group, figures for KDU-ČSL, TOP 09 and ODS supporters are only approximate. ANO is a centrist party and one of the junior coalition partners; TOP 09 is a conservative opposition party; KDU-ČSL is the Christian Democrats and one of junior coalition partners; ČSSD is the ruling Czech Socialist Democratic Party; ODS is the liberal-conservative Civic Democratic Party, a right-wing opposition party; KSČM (Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia).In the March survey, STEM also focused on public opinion on what was required for the successful development of democracy in our country. According to 69 % of citizens, the development of democracy is primarily the responsibility of capable and professional politicians and half the population (50 %) agrees that the success of democracy depends largely on the activities of ordinary people.
Source: STEM, Trends 3/2016, 1050 respondents aged 18 +
STEM has been monitoring public attitudes towards the influence of professional politicians and ordinary citizens on the quality of democracy in this country since April 2013. The following graphs demonstrate that there have been no significant changes in public attitudes since the surveys began.
Source: STEM, Trends 2013-2016
Source: STEM, Trends 2013-2016
A slightly greater proportion of men (55 %) than women (46 %) more often agree that the success of democracy depends largely on the citizens of our country. This is also the case for younger people (18 to 29 years: 52 %; 30 to 44 years: 59 %; 45 to 59 years: 45 %; 60 years and over: 45 %).It is interesting to note the connection between general satisfaction with democracy in this country and public attitudes towards the involvement of citizens in the development of democracy. The proportion of citizens who believe that the success of democracy depends primarily on the activities of ordinary people is substantially higher among those who are satisfied with how democracy works.
Source: STEM, Trends 3/2016, 1050 respondents aged 18 +
