The Czechs are among the most determined peoples of Central and east Europe erstwhile it comes to the readiness to defend their homeland in the event of abroad aggression. As many as 81 percent of respondents from the Czech Republic declared that in specified a situation they would catch a weapon – the latest survey of the organization shows Globesec. Higher percent was recorded only in Poland (84%).
At the second pole is Slovakia, where only 49 percent of the respondents expressed their willingness to fight for their country. It is besides the only country in the region where most (52%) believe that Ukraine should renounce part of the territory in the name of the end of the war. In the Czech Republic, 38 percent of respondents share this view.
“Every year it becomes clear that Czechs and Slovaks are not as similar. The gap between these fraternal nations is beginning to deepen significantly," comments Katarína Klingová from the Globsec Centre for Democracy and Resistance.
The survey besides shows broad support for expanding defence spending – on average 73 percent of respondents in the region are in favour. As many as 92% of respondents in Poland, 74% in Czech Republic, 63% in Slovakia, and the lowest support was recorded in Estonia (62%).
In six of the 9 countries surveyed, over 80% of respondents want to make voluntary military service. In Poland, support reaches 89%, in the Czech Republic – 81% and the lowest was recorded in Hungary (65%).
On Ukraine's assistance, opinions are more divided. In Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, most respondents believe that military support for Kiev only prolongs the war. In the Czech Republic, 45 percent of respondents share this view. Let us callback that Robert Fic's current government in Slovakia stopped military aid from state resources after taking power in 2023.
The Globsec study besides shows that more than half of the Czechs see Russia and China as a safety threat. In Slovakia, Russia is threatened by half of the population and in the case of China, only 1 third. The Czechs are besides the least susceptible to misinformation and conspiracy theories – they believe not only about 30 percent of citizens, while in another countries of the region this percent is much higher.
Despite differences, the people of the region mostly support the membership of their countries in the EU and NATO and further increase defence spending. However, there is little enthusiasm for Ukraine's future membership of the Union – little than half of the respondents believe that this would bring economical benefits to their country.
Globsec is simply a Slovak think tank dealing with security, global policy and democratic resilience. The seat of the organization is in Bratislava.
Source: CT24
Study Bulletin: BIS
