Poll: Czechs want a strong Europe, but with reservations — opinions split along party lines
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Czechs would generally like to see a strong, united Europe — but with plenty of caveats. Most lean toward keeping the current level of European integration as it is, or even scaling it back. That's according to data from the Median polling agency, based on a survey of 1,100 respondents conducted in May and June.
The idea that resonates most strongly with Czechs is reducing Brussels' influence and giving individual member states more power. According to Median representatives, four out of ten Czechs see "Europeanness" as a community of cooperating states that share common principles of rights and freedoms.
On foreign policy, nearly half of respondents (47%) believe the EU should seek compromises in global politics and maintain trade relations with all sides. A fifth would prefer a unified, decisive stance from the bloc, while an equal share would rather leave the defense of geopolitical interests to individual countries.
A split along party lines
The survey found that attitudes toward the EU are closely tied to political preferences. Voters of the current governing parties are notably more likely to favor a weaker, less integrated Europe — this is especially true among SPD supporters (66%), as well as supporters of the Motorists and the ANO movement (44% each), Median notes.
Among ANO supporters, however, opinions vary considerably: 19% back a strong Europe, while another 17% remain undecided. By contrast, roughly three-quarters of voters for the opposition Spolu coalition (ODS, TOP 09, the Christian Democrats), as well as STAN and the Pirates, support a strong, united Europe.
An even sharper polarization emerges when it comes to presidential preferences. Among those who voted for Petr Pavel in the second round of the presidential election, 60% favor a strong EU. Among Andrej Babiš's voters, by contrast, 54% prefer a weaker Union. Among those who didn't vote for either candidate, 36% lean toward a weak EU, a quarter remain undecided, and a fifth favor a strong Europe.
Source: novinky.cz
