In an unexpected turn of events, the Czech government has received a nod of approval from the public for handling recent floods despite its overall low popularity. In October, a survey conducted by the STEM agency revealed that 58% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the government’s actions during the crisis.
This positive assessment comes as a surprise, considering the government’s approval rating is a mere 23%. The flood response appears to be a bright spot in Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s cabinet’s otherwise challenging political landscape.
The support for the government’s flood management was most pronounced among supporters of the ruling parties, including the Pirates, with 88% approval. Interestingly, even 57% of non-voters agreed with the positive assessment.
However, the opposition camp tells a different story. Over half of the opposition supporters (57%) viewed the government’s intervention negatively. The STEM agency notes that despite this, the overall result is not unfavourable for the cabinet, as “even among the opposition, there is a significant proportion of people who ultimately acknowledge that the government handled the situation well”.
While there’s a consensus on the government’s crisis management, the same cannot be said for opinions on financing the flood damage repairs. The survey revealed a clear preference for private solutions: 76% of respondents believe that insurance and savings of affected individuals and businesses should cover the costs. Other popular options include reducing ministerial budgets and investments (74%) and issuing flood bonds (68%).
The least favoured options were increasing the national debt (28% approval) and implementing a temporary flood tax (27% approval). Only 21% of respondents found a general tax increase acceptable.
The survey, conducted from October 4 to 13, included 1,052 respondents, providing a comprehensive snapshot of public opinion on this critical issue.