Prague, Jan 2 (CTK) – Some 29 percent of Czechs believe that their living standards increased in 2016, but 43 percent of them felt less safe last year than in 2015, according to a poll conducted by Median agency and commissioned by the daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) which released it yesterday.
Some 39 percent of Czechs share the view that corruption as well as the interconnection between the business and politics are growing, the poll said.
Over one-quarter of Czechs believe that they have no chance to influence politics, to use the freedom of speech and to have law and order work, it added.
About 36 percent share the view that the atmosphere in society and understanding among people are worsening.
Czechs are increasingly worried about the situation in the world and 65 percent of them say they are afraid of it, MfD writes.
The poll was partly conducted before the terrorist attacks in Berlin and Istanbul, on December 7 and 29, 2016.
Psychologist Karel Humhal said the scepticism could also have some positive impacts.
“This is a sign of Czechs being more responsible and active in the cases they ignored in the past. This may be only good. I mean the link between the business and politics,” Humhal said.
However, 60 percent of Czechs are afraid that corruption will not change in 2017 either and one-quarter of them even expect it to worsen.
In general, the population of Bohemia is more satisfied than that of Moravia, the eastern part of the Czech Republic.
This is largely due to the bad environment in the heavily industrialised Ostrava area, its large unemployment rate, the collapse of the OKD mining company and the poor prospects for the future there, MfD writes.
The voters of the opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and TOP 09 and of the governing ANO mostly expressed satisfaction with their overall situation.
The voters of the governing Social Democrats (CSSD) were split about evenly, while the people supporting the Communists (KSCM) and Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) the junior coalition government partner, were fairly dissatisfied, MfD writes.
Young people and the residents of villages tended to be satisfied with their health, while those from the towns with more than 100,000 residents, the jobless, the elderly, people with low-income and elementary education tended to complain more about their health than the rest, MfD writes.
Voters of the KSCM, CSSD and KDU-CSL were mostly worried about their health, while the voters of TOP 09 feel in the best health condition.
Men gave a better assessment of the last year than women. They feel healthier and believe that they have a better chance to succeed on the labour market and get a good job.
Optimism in this sphere was voiced by 41 percent of men, but only 24 percent of women.
“When it comes to the co-existence with foreigners, the people who have some in their place of residence, gave a better assessment than the rest,” Median’s analyst Lea Michalova told the paper.
“They have more information from their own experience,” she added.
Some two-thirds of Czechs agree with the view that the security situation in the world has worsened, MfD writes.
The concern grows along with age.
One-quarter of Czechs said the situation was the same last year as in 2015 and only 5 percent saw n improvement.
However, the results were worse a year ago. The poll was then conducted in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in France which claimed 130 lives, MfD writes.
