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In the June survey of the Public Opinion Research Centre, among other things we were interested in how Czech citizens trusted people from various countries. Czechs trust each other the most. The second place on the hypothetical ladder of trust is occupied by Slovaks. More than two thirds of respondents also expressed trust towards French (71 %), Poles (71 %) and Brits (66 %). The Czech population most often distrusts Germans (distrust was voiced by 55 % of respondents), Romanians (51 %) and Turks (43 %).

The June survey among other things concentrated on how often and which news programmes on TV Czechs watched and how often and which newspapers they read.

Every day, news programmes on TV are seen by more than two fifths of respondents (42 %), 21 % watch news programmes three to four times a week, 23 % five to six times a week. Almost two thirds of respondents regularly watch Televizní noviny (Television News) on Nova channel (65 %), almost a half (48 %) Události (Events) on ČT 1 channel and more than a fifth (22 %) the main news broadcast of Prima TV channel.

Traditionally, great importance is attributed to family values. Helping their family and friends and living in a satisfied family is considered as being equally important by 97 % of the approached citizens. Similarly, the absolute majority of respondents (97 %) appreciate having in their lives friends who they get on well with. The items, which obtained the highest degree of support during the entire monitored period, are all statements relating to employment.

Almost 60 % of respondents think that the ideal age for a father at the birth of his first child should range from 25 to 29 years of age. A third of the people approached gave the age over 29 and less than 9 % the age under 25. For judging the ideal age of a mother there is a prevailing opinion (51 % of respondents) that a woman should give birth to her first child before 24 years of age. 44 % of respondents stated the age range between 25 and 29 and only less than 5 % consider the age of 30 or more to be the best for the birth of the first child.

More than a quarter of respondents think that artificial insemination should be available only to married women. One fifth of respondents thought that also unmarried women living with common-law husbands should be entitled to this treatment. The largest group (40 %) was formed by respondents of the opinion that artificial insemination should be available to all women regardless of their marital status or if they live with a partner or not.

In their free time, once or more a week, 70 % of people read magazines, 49 % listen to musical recordings, 47 % are involved in a hobby, 45 % meet friends, acquaintances or neighbours, 43 % read books, 34 % are engaged in sporting activities or exercise, 27 % attempt to increase their language or professional skills, 23 % set out on trips to the countryside, 21 % visit wine bars, cafes or restaurants.

In the March survey, 47 % of respondents expressed their contentment with the environment in this country, while the same number - 46 % - were not satisfied. Greater contentment with the environment can be seen in the case of the place where they live – 76 %, while about a quarter of the respondents (23 %) are not satisfied with the environment in their neighbourhood. We also asked the people to which degree they themselves contributed to the protection of the environment with their conduct.

Respondents’ opinions showed their prevailing conviction that “human relations in the Czech Republic are more bad than good”, compared with 41 % of respondents, who said that relations between people here are “definitely good” or “more good than bad”. The negative opinion was voiced by a total of 54 %, who described it as “more bad than good” or “definitely bad”.

The most significant change since 1992 occurred in the area of relation between parents and children - in 1992 there were only two percentage points more of those saying that these relations had got worse than those thinking they had become better.

In the March survey, among other things we concentrated on the satisfaction of citizens with the environment in the place where they live. The greatest contentment was recorded for availability of wide open countryside, scoring 86 %. Approximately three quarters of citizens are satisfied with the cleanness of the countryside in their vicinity and quality of drinking water. About two thirds of respondents are content with the air quality and the noise level in their neighbourhood.

The general situation in the country is valued by people in more of a critical way (39 %) than positively (10 %), although it is most often seen as “neither good nor bad” (49 %). On the other hand, the evaluation of the current situation from the point of view of family is predominantly positive - 43 % of respondents see their current life and the life of their family in bright colours, the same number of respondents consider it to be “neither good nor bad” and only 13 % of them had a critical view in this respect.