Public attitude to form of political system

As a part of February survey made by CVVM SOÚ AV ČR, v.v.i. there were some questions about respondents´ opinions of form of political system.

On the elections to the European Parliament

In March 2009, 49% of Czech citizens expressed willingness to participate in the election to the European Parliament. On the other hand, 36 % of Czech voters did not want to vote. The remaining 15% were still undecided.

Those polled who expressed willingness to participate in the elections were then asked the following open question (without a list of parties being used): ‘What political grouping or party are you going to vote for in the elections to European Parliament?’ The answers indicate that most votes would be given to the Civil Democratic Party (ODS, 31 %) and the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD, 29 %), followed by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM, 12,5 %), the Green Party (SZ, 6,5 %) and the Christian and Democratic Union (KDU-CSL, 5 %).

Confidence in constitutional institutions and satisfaction with political situation in March 2009

In March 2009 within the regular survey CVVM SOÚ AV ČR, v.v.i., questioned respondents about their confidence in constitutional institutions. In this month there was a question about their trust to Chambers of Parliament, Government, President, Local and Regional Councils.

As a part of the CVVM surveys there is a question about public satisfaction with current political situation in the Czech Republic.

According to February 2009 survey 8 % of citizens regard taxation on high-income earners as high, 18 % say it is adequate and 62 % think it is low. Taxation on average-income earners is considered to be high by 38 % of respondents, adequate by 49 % and low by 3 % of citizens. Taxation on low-income earners was supposed to be high by 68 %, adequate by 19 % and low by 3 %. 72 % of respondents think that tax rate should be higher for high-income earners than for low-income earners.

In february 2009 CVVM posed a few questions on how can people influence decision making and how they should be able to influence so. Majority was willing to leave government's decisions to politicians (59 %) but on the other hand the informants claimed to have a right to decide about an important legal acts in a plebiscite (65 %).

According to February survey of CVVM SOÚ AV ČR 70 % of Czech citizens did not agree with planned deployment of U.S. anti-missile radar in Czech Republic, on the other hand 25 % of respondents would approve it. 72 % respondents expressed their opinion that this question should be decided in a referendum, 22 % of Czechs disagreed with holding a plebiscite in this matter.

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In March survey CVVM investigated how people trust to political Parties and whether they are willing to take part in elections to Chamber of Deputies. In the press release there are two different types of information : Party preference and a model of voting behaviour.

Party preferences give us information about public sympathy with political Parties in the group of citizens who have voting right and there is also included a part of citizens who will not take part in elections or they do not knot who to vote for.

According to January survey 65 % of Czechs see existence of Nato as necessary today, only 14 % think that Nato is useless. 60 % of Czechs evaluate recent expansion of Nato in region of Eastern and South-eastern Europe as good, 19 % see this step as bad. But contrary to this attitude, Czech public rather oppose incorporation of Ukraine (34 % yes, 39 % no) and Georgia (28 % yes, 43 % no) into Nato.

In January survey CVVM SOÚ AV ČR investigated public attitude to membership of the Czech Republic in NATO and to some aspects concerning this membership as well as national defense in general.

In February survey the Public Opinion Research Centre focused on topic of the presidency of the European Union. The Czech Republic has assumed the presidency of the EU on 1 January 2009. The respondents were asked if they are interested in this topic or if they have a lot of informations about the presidency. The survey also investigated citizens’ evaluation of the Czech Republic’s preparations for the presidency.