Poll finds most Czechs disagree with all foreigners having the right to seek citizenship

The openness of Czech people toward foreigners has reached an historic low. Almost three-quarters (73 %) of respondents disagree that every person living in the Czech Republic should have the right to apply for citizenship; last year only 67 % disagreed.
Those are the findings of a March poll conducted by the STEM agency. A total of 69 % of respondents reject ethnic minorities having the opportunity to live according to their own traditions, while two out of three citizens consider foreigners too big a security risk to the Czech Republic.
When asked for their opinion as to whether Czechs view foreigners without bias or prejudice, the public is divided into two fairly equal camps - 47 % of respondents said they believe Czechs are not biased about foreigners. STEM reports that the current reduced openness to foreigners is probably connected to the January terrorist attack on the editorial offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.
The number of people seeing foreigners as a security risk has increased since March 2014 by seven percentage points, to 67 %. Only 31 % of respondents said it should be possible for all minorities to live according to their own traditions, while a year ago, 46 % said it should be possible.
Tolerance for the freedom of ethnic minorities to live according to their own customs was most drastically reduced among people aged 30 to 44 and among people with college educations. "While last year people with a college education differed from groups with other levels of education in that they were more open to foreigners, currently such people share the prevailing opinions," STEM commented.
The Agency undertook the survey between 17 and 27 March of this year. A total of 1 000 people were sampled.
Don't miss:
- Czech lower house supports ratification of foreigners' rights, except to vote
- Commentary: Pets, yes, children and foreigners, no
- Jarmila Balážová: Petition against foreigners is cheap, hateful and populist
- "I don't want my children to feel like foreigners in their own country"
- Czech Police arrest three foreigners in Žatec for promoting neo-Nazism
- Czech daily misquotes police, falsely reports foreigner was robbed by "Romani people"
- Germany wants to keep files on neo-Nazis, including Czechs and other foreigners
- Conference to review role of the Czech media in integrating foreigners and Roma
- Czech group to protest corruption in foreigners' health insurance
- Czech police show interest in Internet page insulting foreigners
- More foreigners to serve among Czech police - press
- Three foreigners making Nazi salute detained in Czech town Plzen
- Two foreigners allegedly left unconscious after neo-Nazi attack
- Prague supports language courses for foreigners
Related articles:
- ROMEA TV produces reportage for Deutsche Welle about Romani refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic
- Number of homeless Romani refugees from Ukraine sleeping at main train station in the Czech capital seems to be decreasing for now
- Romani NGO offers Czech Interior Ministry list of places where different kinds of housing could be built for homeless Romani refugees from Ukraine
- Czech capital's "tent city" for refugees from Ukraine has seen 250 people pass through it so far
- Czech Govt Council on Roma Community Affairs establishes new team to resolve Romani refugee situation, to be led by Human Rights Commissioner
- Czech Government proposes stricter rules for temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine
- Aid to refugees from Ukraine will no longer be offered at Czech capital's main train station by close of this month, about 500 Romani refugees continue to sleep there
- Czech NGO aiding refugees says if Government doesn't begin resolving the Prague train station situation, they will stop providing legal assistance there
- Czech Interior Minister met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Ukrainian Police to investigate allegedly "organized dispatches" of Roma refugees from Ukraine
- Prague's tent city almost full with 142 Romani refugees from Ukraine there, others head to Germany after bad experiences in the Czech Republic
- Czech Health Minister: Room for Romani refugees from Ukraine has to be found outside of Prague
- Czech Caritas branch objects to Romani political party's critique of aid to Romani refugees from Ukraine, party stands by its allegations