Pavel, Popeyes, and Perry: Google reveals Czechia’s top search terms in 2023

Google has revealed its most popular search terms for 2023. Czechia's top searches this year covered a diverse range of topics from political figures like President Petr Pavel to international events like the Israel-Hamas war and the death of actor Matthew Perry.

The 2023 Year In Search report breaks down the top queries into categories such as “domestic personalities,” “current affairs,” and questions beginning with “why” and “how," to deliver a virtual snapshot of what kept Czechs clicking in 2023.

In the category of domestic personalities, political figures dominated. Pavel took the top spot, followed by his opponent in January’s 2023 presidential election, Andrej Babiš. Film director and social media star Kamil Bartošek, known as Kazma, claimed the third position – in October he co-ordinated a stunt in which he dropped USD 1 million in cash from a helicopter. Monika Babišová, the wife of Andrej, was the fourth-most frequently searched term, followed by economist Danuše Nerudová, another presidential candidate.

Current events proved a mixed bag of searches. The most Googled term was “presidential election.” The Israel-Hamas war was the second-most searched term, and, in third place, “Donio Martínek,” referring to the mass public fundraising effort that raised CZK 108 million to help cover the cost of treatment for a young boy with a rare genetic disorder in a matter of a few days. 

The Greek island of Rhodes was the fourth-most frequently searched term, likely due to the widescale fires here over the summer which impacted travel plans and left many Czechs stranded.  Popeyes was in fifth position – the U.S. fast food chain garnered huge interest during its Prague opening in early November.

The “why” category of Czechs’ most frequently searched questions reflected a host of modern fears, concerns, and curiosities. “Why should I not sleep on my left side?” was the most frequent question asked, followed by “Why is there a war in Israel and Gaza?” Other common queries were “Why vote for Babiš?” and – more introspectively – “Why can’t I get a guy out of my head?”

Other notable additions in this category’s top-10 search terms include: “Why do cats purr?”, “Why are my legs swelling?” and “Why can’t I sleep?”

In the category of “sad farewells” – relating to celebrity deaths – American actor and star of the television series Friends Matthew Perry was the most commonly searched term, American rally driver Ken Block second, and U.S.-born singer Tina Turner third. 

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who died less than a month ago, was the fourth-most frequently searched name. Vašo Patejdl, a Slovak composer, rounded off the top five search terms.

The most frequent search terms in the “how” category revealed a combination of practical questions and curiosity. Once again showing the significance of the country’s general election, “how to vote” was the most commonly searched term. 

Questions on data boxes were also very frequent: “How do I file a tax return via a data box?” and “How do I delete a data box?” featured in the top five most popular questions, likely due to their widespread introduction for self-employed people in the country this year.

People also wanted to know how deep in the ocean the Titanic ship rests – a question that likely came across many people’s minds when a small submarine on a mission to explore the Titanic vanished in June this year.

The fifth-most common question in this grouping was “What (how) do scabies look like?” – earlier this year, national media reported that incidences of scabies were at their highest in 20 years.

In the realm of domestic films and shows, the latest StarDance competition series held the top spot from last year, with the Survivor Czechia and Slovakia reality television game show the second-most common term. In third place was Kazma's feature film, OneManShow: The Movie, and the romantic television series Eliška and Damián came fourth. The Czech version of the reality show Love Island was the fifth-most frequent search term.