Poll: Too Many Foreigners Living Here, Says 40% of Czechs

The number of Czechs believing that too many foreigners live in the Czech Republic increased by 5 percent to the current 40 percent as against last year, according to a poll conducted by the CVVM polling institute and released today. 

However, the views of foreigners’ long-term stay have not changed. Three-quarters of Czechs are of the opinion that foreigners should only stay in the Czech Republic on certain conditions, while one-sixth say long-term stay should not be allowed to them at all. Some 5 percent are ready to offer residence to foreigners without any limitations.

Half of the Czech population considers the number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic to be reasonable. Czechs still consider study and practice (82 percent) and family reunification (61 percent) to be the most acceptable reason for their acceptance. 

Roughly the same number of people added that immigrants should be allowed to stay in the Czech Republic for business purposes.

Compared to last year, the public’s view of adapting to foreigners in the Czech Republic has not changed either. According to three-quarters of Czechs, foreigners should adapt to them as much as possible. The opinion that they should be allowed to live in the Czech Republic according to their habits remains marginal, with two percent of citizens agreeing.

Ukrainians, Slovaks and Vietnamese alone account for over half of the foreigners living in the Czech Republic.

Exact data on the number of Muslims living in the country are hard to come by. However, a Pew Research Centre study estimates that they account for 0.2% of the total population (around 20.000), one of the lowest rates in Europe with Poland, Slovakia, and the three Baltic countries.

​​​​​​Author: Lilato Madiri