A recent survey by the Czech Public Opinion Research Centre indicates that Czech citizens’ approval of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped by up to 17% since December 2020. Since the first nationwide survey, conducted in May 2020, the number of people lacking trust in the government’s measures has grown significantly. Photo Credit: Freepik / Illustrative Photo.
Czech Rep., Mar 29 (BD) – A survey by the Czech Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM) on the government’s measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic has found that approval among Czech citizens has dropped by up to 17% since December 2020. The number of people who think the government is performing poorly in this regard has increased to 34%, 13% more than December. Since the first nationwide survey, conducted in May 2020, the number of people lacking trust in the government measures has grown significantly.
Participants of the survey were asked several questions about their assessment of the response from the Czech government and its institutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants evaluated the adequacy and effectiveness of both anti-epidemic measures and financial compensation to support those affected by the coronavirus crisis. They also commented on how comprehensible the measures taken by the government were, and the reasons for taking specific measures. “The number of participants who consider the anti-epidemic measures insufficient is at its highest since we started conducting these surveys in May 2020, and the number who consider the measures to be appropriate is at its lowest, significantly so, and below 50% for the first time,” wrote CVVM. While 44% of participants consider the anti-epidemic measures to be appropriate, 34% consider them insufficient, and 15% find them excessive.
Less than a third (32%) of participants believe that the anti-epidemic measures are effective, with 4% perceiving them as ‘definitely effective’ and 28% as ‘rather effective’. On the other hand, more than three-fifths (63%) of respondents consider the measures to be ineffective (43% responded ‘rather ineffective’ and 20% ‘definitely ineffective’). The latest survey has seen a sharp decline (25%) from the previous survey in the proportion of participants describing the measures as effective.
The public is also critical of the financial compensation offered to businesses closed due to the pandemic. 47% of survey participants said that the state is performing inadequately in this regard, a 6% increase since December. A more detailed analysis of the findings reveals that those over 65 years old tend to find the government’s anti-epidemic measures appropriate, while people aged 25 to 34 and people with a university degree find the government response insufficient.
