A recent survey conducted by Bratislava-based NGO GLOBSEC has revealed growing differences in attitudes across Central and Eastern Europe regarding freedom and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The study, carried out in February and March 2025, included 9,000 respondents from nine countries, including the Czech Republic.
Most residents in eight of these countries said they would defend their homeland if attacked. Poles showed the highest willingness, followed by Czechs, Hungarians, and Romanians. Slovakia stood out with less than half of its population expressing readiness to fight.
Public opinion on the war in Ukraine also varies significantly. While support for Ukraine remains relatively strong in the Czech Republic, Slovak attitudes tend to be more skeptical.
“Overall, we see that in the Czech Republic support is largely unanimous, and most Central Europeans want to support Ukraine in security and military matters. But many people are also tired of the war. They feel the negative consequences related to the financial crisis and consolidation,” explained Katarina Klingova, one of the study’s authors.
The survey’s geographic scope has expanded since it began in 2016.
“We started with three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Over the past five years, we have expanded coverage to the Baltic states, the V4 countries, Romania, and Bulgaria. In the future, we would like to include Western European countries such as Germany,” Klingova noted.
Regarding attitudes toward Russia after three years of conflict, the study found that most countries still view Russia as a threat. Poles perceive Russia as the most dangerous, with 86% expressing this view, whereas only about a third of Bulgarians share this concern.
An emerging security concern in the region is China, though only two countries regard it as a growing threat.
“In the Czech Republic, 53% of people see China as a threat, and in Lithuania, it’s 49%. Among the nine surveyed countries, these are the two that most often point to China’s dangerous activities,” Klingova added.
Differences between the Czech Republic and Slovakia also extend to opinions on military aid to Ukraine.
“Up to 63% of Slovaks believe that providing aid to Ukraine only prolongs the war,” Klingova observed.
