Survey: Czechs back state defense, but doubt their country’s ability to stand alone
Over the past few days, the topic of defense has resonated not only in Czechia but worldwide in the context of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka addressed the UN, calling on Moscow to halt its aggression, the Czech Senate held a public hearing on “Security of Ukraine, Security of Europe and the State’s Defence Capability.” But what views does the Czech public hold on the defense of the state?
According to research conducted by the Public Opinion Research Centre in the second half of January 2026, nine out of ten Czechs say the sovereignty of the state must be defended at all costs. Sociologist Paulína Tabery explains:
“If we ask very broadly whether it is necessary to defend state sovereignty, more than 90% of people say yes. This is a universally shared value with which roughly 5% would disagree. Nevertheless, when we confronted people with the question of whether they think Czechia would be able to defend itself, many of them started to have doubts. More than half think Czechia wouldn’t be able to defend itself.”
According to the research, approximately half of people believe that the Czech army is on the level of advanced Western countries. Forty percent disagree, and the rest do not know. Other attitudes are similarly split.
“Around 40 percent of respondents are convinced that it is pointless to think about state defense because major powers decide everything anyway. Just under a third believe that defense spending unnecessarily burdens the state budget.”
Sociologist Paulína Tabery explains, adding it is also necessary to monitor developments over time. Compared to last March, the share of people who believe that the Czech army is on par with Western armies has increased by nine percentage points. At the same time, the proportion of those who consider state defense spending unnecessary has fallen from 39 to 29 percent.
“The belief that the country would not be able to defend itself in the event of an attack, or that everything is decided by major powers anyway, is also declining. Therefore, it can be said that after a year, we are somewhat more confident regarding defense.”
The Czech public also has a relatively clear idea of who its allies are today. People most frequently mention Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. The United States is perceived by most respondents more as a necessary partner than as an unconditional ally, and the same applies to Slovakia and Hungary. Although these two countries, together with Czechia and Poland, are members of the Visegrad Group political alliance, their perception among Czechs is rather restrained.
“Russia is considered an adversary by three quarters of respondents, while 4% see it as an ally. It definitely is not perceived as a country that could positively contribute to Czechia. The security orientation of the Czech public thus remains clearly Western, and when it comes to the Visegrad Group, only Poland is perceived as a clear ally.”
