Three in four Czechs believe the Russia-Ukraine war won't end in 2024

A recent survey conducted by the Median agency for Czech news site iRozhlas has found that almost three-quarters of people in Czechia do not believe that peace will be negotiated between Ukraine and Russia in 2024. It also found that just over half of the public is in favor of Czechia continuing to support Ukraine at the same rate it has thus far.

The belief that no settlement will be reached is predominantly shared by young, university-educated individuals who align themselves with the ruling coalition parties and President Petr Pavel.

On the other hand, 18 percent of respondents express optimism, believing in the potential resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Median sociologist Ivan Cuker notes a correlation between expectations for peace negotiations and the political affiliations of respondents. Supporters of the anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the ANO movement, largely middle-aged individuals in their forties and fifties, appear more hopeful about potential negotiations.

Regarding international support for Ukraine, over half of Czech citizens (51 percent) advocate for the continuation of support from the U.S. and other nations at current levels. This inclination is more pronounced among young demographics and supporters of the ruling coalition. Voters of the opposition parties are definitively against continuing support for Ukraine.

A separate opinion poll by the Czech Center for Public Opinion Research from earlier this year showed that Czechs’ support for their country accepting Ukranian refugees decreased markedly since spring 2022, declining by almost 20 percentage points. Just over half (56 percent) of Czechs support Ukrainian refugees’ temporary acceptance into the country, down from 75 percent a few months after the outbreak of the widescale war.

Looking further east, concerns over the Hamas-Israel conflict escalating into a global crisis are relatively subdued within Czech society. Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe the conflict will remain confined to the Middle East.

Men, younger generations, and those with higher education levels exhibit lower levels of worry about potential global ramifications. They are also more likely to vote for the ruling coalition. Approximately one-quarter of Czechs express varying degrees of apprehension regarding the Israel-Palestine war’s spread.