Politicians, Political institutions
Confidence in top politicians
At present it is president Václav Klaus, who is viewed as the most trustworthy person among our top politicians. He enjoys confidence of seven out of ten respondents and since our last survey in October of last year his credibility has grown of 14 % points together with parallel drop of 13 % points as far as the number of people, who do not trust him, is concerned. Václav Klaus has for the first time reached the first rank on our imaginary rank, outrunning the permanently highly evaluated minister Gross.
Government evaluation
January survey of CVVM focused – among other issues – on the evaluation of Vladimír Špidla’s coalition government. In this respect it was investigated the citizens’ satisfaction with the declared government programme, government activities, its communication with the wide public and its members. Majority of the respondents expressed discontent in all the monitored aspects. Relatively the highest level of satisfaction concerns the declared programme, which was approved by two fifths of the interviewees, while almost a half of them (48 %) declared discontent with it.
Evaluation of government work and parliamentary opposition in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
In January 2004 the work of the government was evaluated positively by 27 % of the respondents and negatively by 66 %. Only one year ago this proportion of positive and negative answers was almost the opposite: in January 2003 the government was evaluated positively by 48 % and negatively by 39 % of interviewees. The substantial drop in government work evaluation occurred in between January and June 2003.
Confidence in constitutional institutions
According to the survey of constitutional institutions realised in mid-January, the highest level of confidence of Czech citizens belongs to the president – he is trusted by 72 % of the respondents. The government enjoys confidence of more than a third of the respondents (37 %). People show the lowest level of confidence in the Senate (20 %) and the Chamber of Deputies (26 %). Regional councils are trusted by 41 % and local councils by 61 % of citizens.
Confidence in constitutional institutions
Most of Czech citizens already traditionally trust in the president of the republic (66 %). On the contrary, the lowest level of confidence belongs to the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which are currently trusted by only about one fifth of the respondents. Compared to November there was a significant drop in the level of the public’s confidence in the government (-6 % points), now trusted by 29 % of the interviewees.
Politicians’ popularity
This time the interviewees were expressing their confidence in leaders of the political parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies. At the top of the popularity chart Miroslav Topolánek appeared in between ČSSD representatives Stanislav Gross and Vladimír Špidla. These are followed by the new KDU-ČSL leader Miroslav Kalousek, the Chamber of Deputies chairman Lubomír Zaorálek, KDU-ČSL members Jan Kasal and Foreign Affairs minister Cyril Svoboda.
Confidence in constitutional institutions and international organisations
In comparison with the previous month, the level of citizens’ confidence in constitutional institutions remains practically unchanged. The highest level of the public’s confidence traditionally belongs to the president of the republic, who is trusted by two thirds of all the interviewees. The Senate of the CR enjoys confidence of only one fifth of the inhabitants. That means the level of confidence in the Senate is currently the lowest of all the monitored institutions within the whole monitoring period.
Politicians’ popularity
Despite his 4 % drop, the very top of the politicians popularity chart still belongs to Stanislav Gross (62 %). He is followed by president Václav Klaus and the ex-president Václav Havel (both scoring 55 %) and Petra Buzková enjoys 50% confidence.
In comparison with the April 2003 results there was a significant growth of the number of people trusting ministers Ambrozek and Mlynář. A rather significant public confidence drop, however, was experienced by minister Škromach, prime minister Špidla, ODS leader Topolánek, Senate chairman Pithart, president Klaus and minister Dostál.
Confidence in constitutional institutions in October 2003
Czech people attribute the highest level of trustworthiness to the president and local councils; that is what 6 out of 10 people declare. Four of ten people trust the Czech government and their regional council. After the significant September drop of the Czech citizens’ confidence in all the constitutional institutions (with the exception of the president of the republic) we registered a follow-up growth in their trust in these institutions.
Political parties and selected institutions activities evaluations
In its September survey, the Public Opinion Research Centre asked the respondents the following question: ”How would you evaluate the activity of the following political parties and institutions within the period of the last twelve months? Please use marking system as used in schools, where one is the best and five is the worst mark.” The best results – with an average mark lower than 3 – were achieved by media and the president.
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