Work, Income, Living Level

In June survey CVVM investigated problems of unemployment. We were interested in how Czech citizens evaluate current and future level of unemployment, their attitudes to difficulty of finding employment in a case of unemployment or the probability of job loss. Comparison with the results from previous surveys and sorting according to sociodemographic indicators are part of report as well.

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In June survey CVVM focused on prestige of some professions in eyes of Czech public. All respondents were shown a list with 26 professions and they were instructed: „There are some professions on a list. Please choose a profession you respect the most and write there 99 points, then choose the one you respect the least a write there 1 point. Afterwards add to other profession points from 02 to 98 according to you opinion.

In April survey CVVM investigated subjective opinions of Czechs about living standard of their households. First questions were focused on objective evaluation of this topic, respondents were asked to say whether they suppose their household to be rich or poor and whether they had problems to live on from their salaries and whether their household was in financial crisis last year. Following question was used to investigate whether it is difficult to meet some life requirements such as foodstuff, clothes and shoes, housing, water and energy, furniture, common non-food products, cultural and sport activities, health care and education.

In April survey CVVM was also interested in public evaluation of some social conditions in the Czech Republic. Our interviewers asked respondents how they evaluate this situation in following areas in our country: chance to get a flat, financial conditions to start a family, chances to have children, social security for the elderly, chance to work or to be employed, access to health care and access to education.

From all social conditions included in the survey people evaluate mostly positively only the accessibility of education (79 % positively, 14 % critically) and the health care (65 % : 32 %). All other monitored areas of social conditions - i.e. a chance to get a flat (21 % positively, 74 % critically), financial situation to start a family with children (23 % : 72 %), social security for the elderly (17 % : 71 %), life conditions for the handicapped (19 % : 61 %) and a chance to get a job (31 % : 65 %) - are evaluated largely critically.

5 % of citizens indicated their household to be "rather rich", whilst 28 % consider it to be "rather" (24 %) or "very" (4 %) poor. Almost two thirds of respondents (65 %) regard their household as neither rich nor poor. Problems with current budget of their household were stated by 58 % of respondents, on the other hand 36 % said they have no problems with budget of the household.

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In September CVVM survey within project Our Society 2006 focused on public attitudes of Czech citizens to employment. Almost all economically active citizens wish to have certain employment they would enjoy. For 84 % of respondents the certainty of employment is very important. More than 90 % of citizens suppose employment that brings them high income to be important. Most of working respondents (more than 80 %) feel that their job is important for society and they enjoy it.

Survey proved that medicine keep constantly its eminent position among other professions as the occupation with a high prestige. 45 % of respondents regard the physician as a top occupation out of 26 monitored professions and the average evaluation of a medical profession was significantly higher than average evaluations of a scientist or a university professor, which were as prestigious professions placed on second and third rank.

Two thirds of Czech employees are satisfied with their jobs. On the other hand 3 out of 10 economically active Czechs are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their jobs, job dissatisfaction was expressed only by 5% of economically active citizens. Almost 8 out of 10 economically active respondents are satisfied with using their professional skills at work, with interpersonal relationships at workplace, with job attractivity and with working hours/shifts.

Seven out 10 economically active citizens (69 %) would try to look for concrete job in case they lost their job, almost a quarter of working respondents (28%) would be willing to accept any job in such situation. In September 2006 number of those who would accept any job they were offered was the lowest since year 2003 when this question was used for the first time. Work demands such as work training and qualification, work overtime or faster pace of work are supposed to be acceptable when taking up a job.