More than half of Czechs continue to support Ukrainian refugees staying in the Czech Republic, and a third agree that they are an asset to the country, according to a June survey by the STEM agency released today. However, almost three-fifths of people think the Czech Republic has taken in too many refugees from Ukraine and that they are putting an economic burden on the country.
Two-fifths of survey respondents believe that the majority of the Czech public is tired of the presence of Ukrainian refugees, even though they personally tolerate them.
“The development of basic indicators, such as approval of the refugees’ stay in the country and their perception as a benefit or, on the contrary, a threat, is almost unchanged compared to previous measurements,” said STEM analyst Jiri Taborsky. “However, there are also strong voices against Ukrainian immigration, and there are especially concerns about economic issues related to the perception that Ukrainians cost the Czech Republic too much money.”
Recent data from the Czech Ministry of Labour indicates that Ukrainian refugees contribute far more to the Czech state in taxes than they receive in government spending.
However, according to Taborsky, if the economic situation in the Czech Republic worsens and unemployment rises, it can be expected that coexistence between Czechs and Ukrainians will become significantly more complicated.
According to STEM, fatigue from the long-term presence of Ukrainian refugees is evident among the public, mainly linked to political concerns. When asked what most of their fellow citizens think of Ukrainians, the largest number of respondents (40%), said people tolerate Ukrainians but are tired of them being in the country. Around 25% guessed that most of the public dislikes refugees and feels resentment toward them.
However, as in January, half of the public considers the integration of Ukrainians into the labour market a success, and the proportion of people who think the same about their linguistic integration is unchanged at 36%. 52% of respondents also think it is right that the Czech Republic allows the Ukrainian refugees it has taken in to stay, and 31% say they are an asset to the country’s future development, a similar figure to January.
1,000 people over 18 answered questions in the June survey.
