Czechs overall gave poor marks to the center-right coalition government led by Peter Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS). Only 26 percent of respondents to a Public Opinion Research Center (CVVM) poll were satisfied with the work of the coalition of the ODS, TOP 09 and Public Affairs, while 66 percent were unsatisfied.
Respondents were most dissatisfied with the people in the government, with only 1 percent saying they were fully satisfied and 18 percent rather satisfied. Just 25 percent were pleased with the government’s communication.
“Satisfaction was registered in a higher ratio by university graduates, people who evaluate their quality of life as good, and supporters of the ODS and TOP 09,” CVVM analyst Gabriela Šamanová said in a report.
“On the other hand, the most critical people were those who considered their quality of life as poor, supporters of the [left-wing] Social Democrats (ČSSD) and Communists, people over 60 and people with a basic education,” she added.
Compared to previous governments, the current one is neither the best nor the worst, although some governments — such as that of Stanislav Gross (ČSSD) — were not ranked as no poll took place during their tenures. The only government to get an overall positive rating since 1998 was Jan Fischer’s caretaker government, which had a 66 percent saying they were satisfied with its work. Mirek Topolánek (ODS) was least popular with a 29 percent positive rating and 64 percent negative.
Nečas scored a little better than his govenment as a whole. Some 33 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with him as prime minister, with 56 percent unsatisfied. Compared to previous administrations, Fischer (unaffiliated) was seen favorably by 75 percent, and unfavorably by 17 percent, while Jiří Paroubek also had a majority — 54 percent positive and 31 percent negative. Of the four recent prime ministers, Mirek Topolánek (ODS) was least popular with a 29 percent positive rating and 64 percent negative.
The polls offer a snapshot in time, as attitudes toward governments tend to change over time. The Vladimír Špidla government was ranked twice, once in September 2002 when it came in second-most popular with a 48 percent positive rating, and then again in January 2004, when it came in last with just 20 percent support.
The level of dissatisfaction with the current government doesn’t mean, however, that most respondents favor the left-wing opposition in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament. Some 48 percent viewed the opposition either fully negatively or rather negatively, while just 30 percent had a positive outlook, and 22 percent were undecided.
“Opinions differ on the opposition mainly by party preference. Positive ratings were significantly more pronounced among ČSSD voters, while negative viewpoints came from ODS and TOP 09 supporters,” CVVM’s Šamanová said.
The poll took place between Feb. 7 and 14, with 1,069 respondents over the age of 15.
