Prague, April 11 (CTK) – An absolute majority of 53 percent of Czechs consider the current number of foreigners living in the country proportionate, which is the highest share expressing this view since 2009 when pollsters started asking this question, shows the latest CVVM poll released on Wednesday.
At the same time, the share of people who consider the number of foreigners too high dropped to 35 percent, the lowest level so far.
Most people or 78 precent are of the view that foreigners should have an opportunity to get long-term residence in the Czech Republic only under certain conditions. This is the same share of respondents as in 2017.
Seventeen percent of Czechs do no agree with long-term residence for foreigners at all, which is the same figure as last year.
Two-thirds of people share the opinion that not everyone who shows interest in the possibility to settle down in the Czech Republic should get this chance. However, the number of people who support this possibility has increased since last year from 26 to 30 percent.
Czechs consider studies (80 percent) and family reunification (64 percent) the most acceptable reasons for taking immigrants.
Almost three-fifths agree that the country should accept refugees fleeing from war, famine and natural disasters. An absolute majority also agree with the immigration reasons to be job seeking and oppression on religious, racial and political grounds.
The least acceptable reason for admitting foreign immigrants is that they like staying in the Czech Republic and would like to live there.
Three-quarters of Czechs also say the foreigners living in the Czech Republic on the basis of permanent or long-term residence permits should adapt to Czech habits as much as possible.
The Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM) conducted the poll on a sample of 1061 people over 15 on March 3-15.
