Majority of Czech adults identify as optimists

A large majority of Czech adults under 65 describe themselves as optimists, suggest a survey released by polling agency STEM/MARK on Wednesday. Optimists make up 72% of the population, while the rest identify as pessimists.

According to the survey, optimists are more likely to have a university degree and higher income. The least optimistic group is those under 29, while the most optimistic are aged 30 to 44.

Most optimists say they have always had a positive outlook, with only one-third reporting a past pessimistic phase. Among pessimists, one-third say they’ve always been that way, while two-thirds were previously more optimistic.

The shift from pessimism to optimism was most often driven by a conscious effort to adopt a more positive mind-set. In contrast, those who became pessimistic cited aging, life experience, global events, or personal hardships.