|
Date of release: June 4
Released in: www.tns-sofres.cz
Source: http://www.tns-factum.cz/index.php?lang=cz&idp=76&in=&id=291
Face to face survey on quota sample, between 23 and
28 May 2003, by TNS Factum
N=1022 (15+ population; 972 18+)
TNS update: a predicted 82% "yes"
with modest participation
Estimate of participation
in referendum: approximately 55%. Prognosis of the referendum
results: 82% "for"
Each week TNS Factum, s.r.o.
presents, on the basis of a contract with the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, a set of questions concerning the
attitude of the public to the entry of the Czech Republic
to the EU. The inquiry, the results of which are presented,
took place on May 23th - 28th, 2003 on a representative
sample of 1022 Czech citizens 15 years old or older
(from which 972 are 18 years or older, who were given
the presented questions), obtaining a quota selection.
This is the fifteenth inquiry in a row with a weekly
periodicity, which will end before the referendum takes
place in June of this year.
Public interest in events
connected with the entry to the EU
The results show that the interest of citizens is continually
fluctuating slightly; nevertheless it is not generally
changing much. Roughly a third of the Czechs (37%) are
often interested, more than half (53%) sometimes and
10% are not interested. There is a slight increase compare
to the last weeks.
Participation and voting in
the referendum
Results once again indicate that up to seven out of
ten Czechs could participate in the referendum (the
sum of the answers "definitely" and "probably"
is now 74%). Long-term experience from election polls
of course indicates that this information is probably
overvalued and the actual participation may be somewhere
around 55%.
Seeing as those people that intend
to vote for our entry to the EU continue to display
their willingness to participate in the referendum,
it can be expected that the referendum will unequivocally
result in the approval of the entrance of the Czech
Republic to the EU.
According to the current prognosis, approximately eight
out of ten participants - 82% - would vote for entry
in the referendum . Yes votes nevertheless are predominant
in all the socio-demographic groups followed. The referendum
would turn out worst among those who support the left,
though even the supporters of our entering the EU would
win in this group (62%).
The media, however, sometimes tend to confuse this optimistic
prognosis of the referendum to represent the sweeping
support throughout the public for entering the EU. In
order to put the situation in the proper light, we will
also present percentage for the whole population: 55%
of the citizens would vote for, 18% against and 27%
do not know how they would lean in the referendum.
Perception of the information
media
The perception level of the information media is
now stabilizing with a slight tendency towards improvement.
Currently 41% think that there is not enough information
about the Czech entry to the EU, 53% are of the opposite
opinion - that the information is sufficient. The percentage
of those who think that they do not have essential,
important information at their disposal is now at 51%
(like before one week) and the percentage of those who
state that they do not receive sufficient arguments
supporting the decision to enter the EU now amounts
to 48% (last week 50%). The feeling of deficit of the
important information and arguments increased during
the last period a bit.
The opinion that the state is
trying to convince citizens to vote for entrance to
the EU is still oscillating around the halfway mark:
now it has reached 59%, 3 points more compare last week
results (56%) higher than previous two weeks results
(54%). On the other hand the portion of those who claim
that the state leaves them room to make their own decision
is fluctuating around one third, momentally it is 26%.
Last weeks development shows that the citizens more
and more feel the communication campaing as a pressure.
|
Monitored media 
