Survey: more Slovaks than Czechs see dissolution of Czechoslovakia as positive

The majority of Slovaks think that dividing Czechoslovakia into two states was the right thing to do, while less than half of Czechs feel the same way, according to a survey conducted this month by the Median agency on behalf of Czech and Slovak television. While 62 percent of Slovaks see the division as a good thing, only 47 percent of Czechs feel the same way. Since the last survey five years ago, the proportion of positive assessments by Slovaks has increased.

However, both nations are united in believing that the decision should have been made by referendum - 76 percent of Czechs and 86 percent of Slovaks hold this view.

Almost three-quarters of Czech respondents said they don't mind Slovaks studying or working in Czechia, with 15 percent even saying that Slovaks are indispensable for the Czech economy. Meanwhile, 12 percent said that Slovaks take jobs from Czech people.

More than two-thirds of Slovak respondents, especially more highly-educated people and people aged between 40 and 65, said they see large-scale emigration from their country as a problem.

Saturday marks 30 years since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992.