Which countries do people in Czechia like the most – and least – worldwide?

Which countries do people in Czechia view the most positively? And which do they like the least? A new study by the STEM research agency answers these questions, with some perhaps surprising findings and a new leader in the rankings.

Respondents were asked to rate how they felt about select international countries using a school grade system, with 1 being the best mark and 5 the worst. Most notably, Austria has replaced Slovakia as Czechs’ most favored country, with 71 percent of people giving a good view of Austria. Slovakia follows closely behind, with Switzerland in third position.

In 2023, the level of sympathy towards Ukraine decreased compared to the previous year, according to the study. This drop can be attributed to the sharp increase in 2022 due to the Russian invasion of the country. In April 2022, 36 percent of respondents rated Ukraine favorably but by June 2023, this value had decreased to 33 percent, and by June 2024, it had further fallen to under 30 percent. Sentiment towards Ukraine is now therefore roughly as it was before the invasion.

The relationship with Russia has remained relatively unchanged since last year. In 2023, there was a slight increase in the percentage of positive ratings compared to the highly critical year of 2022. However, today, only 15 percent of people in Czechia view Russia favorably – a contrast to over one-third of people back in 2019.

Palestine is the worst-rated country for people in Czechia – just 12 percent view the country positively. China, Turkey, Israel, and Serbia also performed poorly.

The relationship with major regional and global powers has remained relatively unchanged since last year, though has seen large fluctuations in the past three decades. Germany, France, and the UK continue to receive favorable ratings from 55 to 60 percent of the Czech population. 

The picture is a little more mixed for the U.S. In 2002, over 60 percent of Czechs viewed the North American country favorably, though this has now dropped to 44 percent. Conversely, Germany has seen a surge in favorable opinion: in the mid-1990s only four in 10 people in Czechia viewed the country positively, whereas this figure today stands at 55 percent.