The STEM research institute has been monitoring the relationship of the Czech Republic’s population toward selected countries in Europe and around the world since the mid-1990s. Respondents rate their attitudes toward individual countries using a common Czech school grading system (1 – best, 5 – worst). In addition, STEM regularly surveys public opinion on selected foreign political figures.
In 2026, Russia confirmed its position as the most negatively perceived country, being viewed just as unfavourably as at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. This attitude is accompanied by strong rejection of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is rated negatively by nearly four-fifths of the Czech public.
A specific situation can be observed in attitudes toward the United States. While the United States as a country recorded a slight increase in favourability, the rating of President Donald Trump dropped to its historical low in the second year of his current presidency. It should be noted, however, that the survey was conducted before the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran.
Austria has become the most positively perceived country (rated with grades 1 or 2 by 71% of Czechs), replacing Switzerland. The Czech public also rates Italy and Poland similarly positively (both at 68%). A majority of Czechs also view Slovakia, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, and Croatia positively (between 61% and 67%).
More than half of respondents also gave a 1 or 2 grade to the United Kingdom (57%), Japan and Belgium (56%), France (55%), Slovenia (54%) and Germany (54%). Approximately two-fifths of the population have a positive attitude toward Lithuania (40%), Hungary (40%), and Taiwan (36%). Lower levels of support are expressed by the Czech public toward Serbia (30%), the United States (29%), Israel (27%), and Turkey (26%). As in the previous year, fewer than one-fifth of people view China (18%), Russia (13%), and Palestine (9%) positively. In all three of these countries, there has been an increase in negative ratings (scores of 4 and 5).
“In the following list are the names of various countries. Using school grades, please rate how favourable or unfavourable your relationship toward these countries is. A grade of one (1) indicates the best relationship, while a grade of five (5) indicates the worst.”
Source: STEM – Trends 02/2026
Average ratings of countries
When comparing the average grades for individual countries, a slight strengthening of positive ties toward European countries can be observed. Compared to last year, France, Germany, and Slovakia have improved in the eyes of the Czech public (by 0.2 points in the mean), while a more modest increase in favourability of one-tenth of a point was recorded, for example, by Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. Switzerland and Austria maintain their position as the highest-rated countries, both with an average grade of 2. They are now joined by Italy, which, thanks to a year-on-year improvement of 0.2 points, completes the trio of the most positively perceived countries.
At the opposite end of the ranking, we observe a reverse trend, where selected countries have seen a deterioration in perception, also by 0.2 points. Russia remains the worst-rated country, with an average grade of 4.1. A significant increase in negativity is also evident for Palestine (3.8) and China (3.5). Serbia has also received a worse average rating compared to last year.
“In the following list are the names of various countries. Using school grades, please rate how favourable or unfavourable your relationship toward these countries is. A grade of one (1) indicates the best relationship, while a grade of five (5) indicates the worst.” – average grades shown, year-on-year changes of more than 0.1 points are highlighted
Source: STEM – Trends 04/2025, 02/2026
Attitudes toward Ukraine and Russia
The development of attitudes toward Russia and Ukraine shows opposite trends in Czechia. While the share of positive evaluations of Ukraine is increasing, it continues to decline slightly for Russia. Positive ratings of Ukraine rose year-on-year to 33%, confirming a trend of gradual but steady growth in sympathy. In direct contrast, Russia experienced a further drop to 13% (from 15% last year) and thus remains the worst-rated country: 69% of people rated it with grades 4 and 5.
“In the following list are the names of various countries. Using school grades, please rate how favourable or unfavourable your relationship toward these countries is. A grade of one (1) indicates the best relationship, while a grade of five (5) indicates the worst.” – Ukraine and Russia, share of 1 and 2 grades in %
Source: STEM – Trends 2013–2026
Ratings of major powers
In relation to important regional or global powers, we observe a convergence in the ratings of the three European countries. Perceptions of France and Germany have improved year-on-year, with 55% of Czechs rating France positively (grade 1 or 2) and 54% doing so for Germany. Although the United Kingdom’s rating declined again by one percentage point compared to last year, it still maintains the top position within this trio.
The United States continue to be rated much less positively, with 29% of the population expressing a favourable view. Public attitudes toward the U.S. are therefore mixed: just under one-third perceive it positively, nearly one-third negatively, and two-fifths assign it a neutral rating of 3.
China’s rating remains the same as last year. It received a grade of 1 or 2 from one-fifth (18%) of the population.
“In the following list are the names of various countries. Using school grades, please rate how favourable or unfavourable your relationship toward these countries is. A grade of one (1) indicates the best relationship, while a grade of five (5) indicates the worst.” – Germany, France, United Kingdom, USA and China, share of 1 and 2 grades in %
Source: STEM – Trends 1994–2026
Ratings of V4 countries and Austria
When looking at sympathy toward the V4 countries and Austria, we observe a convergence in the ratings of Poland (68%), Slovakia (67%), and Austria (71%), which were previously more clearly differentiated. Opposing trends can be seen here: an increase in the share of positive ratings in the case of Poland and a decline in the share of people giving Slovakia a grade of 1 or 2. The evaluation of Austria remains relatively stable, with only minor fluctuations.
People are significantly more critical in their assessment of Hungary, which is viewed favourably by only two-fifths of the population.
“In the following list are the names of various countries. Using school grades, please rate how favourable or unfavourable your relationship toward these countries is. A grade of one (1) indicates the best relationship, while a grade of five (5) indicates the worst.” – Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, share of 1 and 2 grades in %
Source: STEM – Trends 1994–2026
Ratings of foreign politicians
Among foreign politicians and leaders, Pope Leo XIV enjoys the greatest popularity among the Czech public. A favourable opinion of him is held by 57% of Czechs, which, however, represents a decline compared to his predecessor Francis (65%). At the same time, a quarter of respondents (24%) do not know him or do not rate him (for Pope Francis in 2025, this share was 10%).
French President Emmanuel Macron enjoys the same level of popularity as last year, with half of respondents rating him positively. Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who replaced Andrzej Duda, is also viewed predominantly positively, with 45% of the population expressing support for him. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is rated positively by two-fifths of the Czech public, which is a similar result to previous years.
More than one-third of Czech citizens view German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (37%), Slovak President Peter Pellegrini (37%), and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (35%) positively. However, in the case of the German and British leaders, there is a high proportion of people who do not know them (36% and 44%, respectively).
The worst-rated foreign politician is the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is viewed negatively by nearly four-fifths (79%) of the population, while only 13% perceive him positively. Similarly low levels of positive perception are recorded for Chinese President Xi Jinping (13%). However, compared to the Russian president, there is a higher level of unfamiliarity with the Chinese leader (33% compared to 7% for Vladimir Putin).
“Please indicate your opinion of the following foreign political figures.”
Source: STEM – Trends 02/2026
Although the rating of the United States is slightly more positive compared to last year, when looking at the time trend of selected foreign politicians, we can see that among Czech citizens the share of positive ratings for U.S. President Donald Trump has further decreased. With a sympathy level of one-fifth, he has reached his historical minimum, even when compared to his first presidential term.
By contrast, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has recorded a year-on-year increase in popularity, which is primarily related to his growing public recognition. The share of favourable ratings for Russian President Putin remains stably low and has not changed since last year.
“Please indicate your opinion of the following foreign political figures.”– share of „Very favourable“ and „Somewhat favourable“ answers in %
Source: STEM – Trends 2008–2026
The new Polish President Karol Nawrocki has established himself relatively successfully in the eyes of the Czech public, and with 45% of positive opinions, he almost matches the popularity of his predecessor Andrzej Duda.
The evaluation of the current Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has remained stable since he took office but compared to the previous presidential era of Zuzana Čaputová, the share of positive ratings is significantly lower.
The least positively perceived figure among the V4 countries has long been Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Moreover, the share of people who view him favourably has been gradually decreasing over time.
“Please indicate your opinion of the following foreign political figures.”– share of „Very favourable“ and „Somewhat favourable“ answers in %
Source: STEM – Trends 2020–2026
