Expats vs. Immigrants: Czechs Weigh In

Researchers asked 1,054 Czechs a series of questions about what they consider to be the appropriate amount of foreigners living in the country, whether those foreigners should have the right to reside in the country long-term, and whether the state should allow them to settle here permanently.

More than three quarters of respondents (78%) said that foreigners should be able to stay in the Czech Republic under certain conditions; approximately two fifths (39%) of Czech citizens said that they believe there are too many foreigners living in the Czech Republic.

But what’s most telling is how subjects responded to a foreigner’s given reasons for settling in the country.

The most acceptable reason for a permanent or long-term stay in the Czech Republic was given as study (76%), followed by family reunification (65%).

The majority of Czechs also expressed an acceptance of foreigners who come to the country to escape persecution for religious or political reasons.

And yet there was one reason behind a long-term or permanent residency that was deemed least acceptable by the majority of Czechs:

“The reason the respondents found the least acceptable is that foreigners simply like our country and want to live here,” the Centre said in a press release.

If you accept Zeeck’s explanation, then the data isn’t exactly favorable toward the traditional expatriate.