Poll: Czech public rates the current government the worst in a decade

The Czech government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala has the lowest popularity rating since 2013, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM). Fiala’s center-right government – a coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Christian Democrats (KDU–ČSL), Pirates, and TOP 09 – took office on Dec. 17, 2021.

Czech citizens mostly criticize the cabinet's program, performance, and members as well as the prime minister and the way it communicates with the public.

A lower rating than Fiala's was only earned by the ODS-led cabinet of Petr Nečas in a February 2013 poll. Nečas’ government underwent extensive personnel changes during its three years in power and it ended with Nečas' resignation in the summer of 2013 after a police raid in the government seat.

Negative assessments of Fiala's government outweigh the positive ones. For example, only 24 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the members of the government, while 71 percent are dissatisfied overall. The prime minister is rated negatively by 64 percent of people and positively by 32 percent. While 69 percent of Czechs are dissatisfied with the government's activities, only 27 percent are satisfied.

The cabinet's communication with the public is assessed negatively by 66 percent of respondents and positively by 30 percent. The smallest difference between the proportions of positive and negative evaluations is for the government's program, with which 30 percent of Czechs are satisfied, compared to 59 percent that are not.

Compared to the previous survey, when people evaluated Andrej Babiš's government in August and September 2021, the share of dissatisfied people in each area has increased by up to 15 percentage points. The evaluation of the prime minister has changed the least. In the previous survey, 62 percent of people were dissatisfied with then-prime minister Babiš, and in the current survey, 64 percent of respondents evaluate Fiala negatively.

The poll showed that as age increases, people are less satisfied with Fiala's cabinet in all aspects, while people from higher-income households and with better living standards are more satisfied. Right-wing voters are generally more satisfied with the current government.

Strong dissatisfaction with the cabinet is expressed mainly by voters of the senior opposition ANO and junior opposition Freedom and Democracy (SPD) movements, as well as by those who do not vote at all.

The survey was conducted by CVVM from Jan. 31 to March 20 on a sample of 861 Czech residents over the age of 15.