More than three quarters of Czechs agree with the construction of the new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant in South Moravia, according to a survey from the Centre for Public Opinion Research (CVVM) released to CTK today.
The survey also found that 58% of those polled trust the government to make decisions about nuclear energy, and almost two-thirds think that the share of nuclear power in electricity production should increase in the Czech Republic in the future. In addition, 34% are not concerned about the use of nuclear energy, and a further 41% are only slightly concerned.
CVVM did not provide any comparison with previous surveys, as the methodology of selecting respondents has changed.
However, its earlier survey in 2023 found that more than half of people did not trust the government to make decisions on the development of nuclear energy in the Czech Republic; in the current survey, 10% of people strongly trust the government in this regard and 48% rather trust it, while 38% expressed mistrust.
CVVM noted that the result contrasted with the generally low trust in the current government.
According to the survey authors, the findings of the survey may have been impacted by the fact that the government selected the South Korean company KHNP as the winner of the tender for the construction of nuclear units at Dukovany shortly before the survey was conducted.
A total of 78% of the respondents were in favour of a further construction at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, 16% were against it, and the rest were undecided.
Moreover, 63% of people want to increase the share of nuclear power in electricity generation in the Czech Republic, 22% want to keep it at the current level, and 11% want to reduce it.
Just 4% of respondents said they were very concerned about the use of nuclear power in the Czech Republic, and 19% were moderately concerned, while three-quarters of those surveyed expressed little or no concern.
“A more detailed analysis shows that a somewhat higher level of concern is expressed by women than men, and by respondents (with low education level) who are not secondary school graduates. Concerns correspond quite strongly with general attitudes to nuclear energy,” the survey authors noted.
Public attitudes towards green energy were split more evenly. Seven out of ten people in the Czech Republic believe that the Green Deal for Europe, intended to steer the European Union (EU) towards climate neutrality by 2050, is causing a disproportionate rise in energy prices. However, they were divided into two equal camps in terms of support for or opposition to the deal.
48% of respondents agree with the deal (of which 11% strongly agree and 37% somewhat agree), while the same proportion oppose it (of which 17% strongly and 31% somewhat). The remaining 4% are undecided.
A more detailed analysis shows that women express agreement with the Green Deal more often than men, and that support decreases with the rising age of the respondents. On the other hand, support for the Green Deal correlates very significantly with concern about climate change.
According to the authors of the survey, people who think that climate change can only be tackled by changing the way we live are much more likely to agree with the Green Deal. Disagreement is more likely expressed by those who believe that the climate crisis can be overcome through technological progress while maintaining the existing way of life.
Politically, support for the Green Deal is higher among those demographic groups who tend to support the government Spolu coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09. On the contrary, it decreases among supporters of the opposition groups Stacilo! (led by the Communists), Prisaha, and the Motorists.
The Green Deal is of particular concern because of its impact on energy prices. A total of 71% of respondents agreed that the deal would make energy more expensive, 22% said the opposite, and 7% did not know. Even a majority of the Green Deal supporters agreed with the statement about disproportionate energy price increases.
The survey also sought people’s views on whether it is realistic for the Czech Republic to achieve the Green Deal’s interim target of a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990. 28% of people considered this achievable, while almost two-thirds expressed scepticism and the remaining 8% were undecided.
“Even among supporters of the Deal, sceptics about the achievability of its goal prevail,” said CVVM. The only exceptions are those who strongly agree with the Green Deal. In this group, those who believe the goals can be achieved outnumbered those who do not by 57 to 35.
Half of Czechs consider the current progress of the transition to cleaner energy successful, and 43% consider it unsuccessful.
“The development of photovoltaics and of nuclear power are most often cited as the biggest successes in the transition to cleaner energy, while high energy prices, the slow development of nuclear power, and too much expansion of solar power plants taking up good-quality farmland, burdening the budget and increasing electricity prices for consumers are most often considered failures,” said CVVM.
The energy system in the Czech Republic is considered fair by 42% of citizens, in terms of the distribution of advantages and disadvantages among different groups of society, while 46% view it as unfair.
Among the respondents who described the energy system in the country as fair, almost two-thirds could not give a specific reason for their position. People who consider it unfair said it was because of the disproportionate profits of the subsidised electricity producers, high or differing prices, unfair distribution of the costs and impacts of the transition to a cleaner energy system, and large differences between the energy production cost and the price paid by consumers.
The CVVM survey was conducted on 1,022 people aged 15 and older from August 2 to 11.
