The proportion of people who would vote against leaving the Union in a referendum has risen to almost two-thirds. Supporters of the introduction of the euro fell slightly to 23 percent.
Despite higher satisfaction, the Czech public remains mostly critical of the EU's form and functioning, with the main obstacle to economic development being the EU's cumbersomeness, according to the agency. The STEM poll was conducted by the agency for the European Commission Representation in Czechia between 9 and 17 October last year and was answered by 1,023 people aged 18 and over.
The share of those satisfied with Czechia's membership in the EU has increased to 57 percent from 51 percent in the previous STEM survey conducted at the turn of August and September 2024. In the four previous years, satisfaction with membership was below 50 percent, and it was higher than in the current survey, which was last conducted in 2010 at 65 percent.
A Eurobarometer poll in November 2025 showed different results.It showed that 42% of Czechs consider EU membership a good thing, 15% consider it a bad thing and 42% consider it neither good nor bad. One percent refused to answer.
"The proportion of Czechs with an anti-EU sentiment has been declining in recent years and is returning to the level of 2019, when the economic boom was at its peak. At the same time, general satisfaction with EU membership is now at almost its highest level since the two major downturns in the past decade, which were linked first to the economic crisis and then to the migration crisis," STEM said.
The highest number of people in two decades support remaining in the EU
According to the current poll, 66 % of Czechs would vote to remain in the EU in a referendum, compared to 60 % a year earlier. This share has not been higher in STEM surveys since 2005, it was the same 66 percent in 2008 and 65 percent in 2005 and 2009.
"The recent elections to the Chamber of Deputies brought changes in the state of public opinion. In the context of attitudes towards the EU, pro-European segments have become stronger. However, this is probably the result of a low-conflict election campaign towards the EU," the authors of the survey noted.
Interestingly, according to the survey, significantly more Czechs feel European than feel sympathy for the EU. According to the current survey, 73 % of people in the Czech Republic felt European, up from 72 % a year earlier and 78 % in 2019.
"A significant number of opponents of the EU also consider themselves to be Europeans, which implies that the criticism is more related to the institutional concept of the EU than to Europeanism as such," said STEM analyst Martin Kratochvíl.
Support for the euro remains low
According to STEM, the Czechs' attitude towards adopting the euro remains stably low. The share of supporters of the introduction of the common European currency has dropped to 23 percent in the current survey from a quarter a year earlier. "As we know from other surveys, Czechs still associate fears of rising prices with the euro and the feeling of losing part of our national identity is also common," Kratochvíl pointed out.
STEM surveyed people's attitudes towards the functioning of the EU by asking them what they consider to be serious obstacles to economic development in the EU. The cumbersomeness of the EU is the issue according to 73 percent of respondents, regulation and common rules according to 58 percent, and the lack of support for European industry from EU money according to 56 percent.
Ineffective support for the EU's less developed regions is a serious obstacle to economic development, according to 54 percent of people in Czechia, while the emphasis on green transformation, the Green Deal, is a serious obstacle, according to 52 percent.
Source: A European Perspective, ČTK
Originally published by zem on 12 February 2026 12:53 GMT+1