Czechs feel safest since 2023, but health and financial worries persist

Czechs report their strongest sense of personal security since 2023, although concerns about serious illness and financial losses remain prominent, according to a survey of 2,000 people.

ČSOB Pojišťovna’s Safety Index, compiled with research agency STEM/MARK, reached 54.1 out of 100 points, up 0.4 points from last year and the highest reading since tracking began.

The index examines people’s perceptions of risks to their health, housing, finances and property, rather than measuring crime rates. Respondents felt most secure about keeping their homes and least secure about serious health problems.

Housing security scored 60.3 points, the highest of the areas assessed. Confidence concerning damage to or destruction of property followed at 55 points.

Serious threats to health scored 51.4 points, while major financial losses scored 51.5.

STEM/MARK expert Petr Gajdušek said the housing result reflects a combination of the perceived likelihood of losing a home, its potential consequences and respondents’ assessment of their own safeguards.

People regarded serious health complications as both consequential and relatively realistic. Some 59 percent said they had taken some form of precaution against serious health problems, compared with 56 percent last year.

Half reported having insurance covering serious illness with lasting consequences, unchanged from the previous survey.

ČSOB Pojišťovna CEO Jiří Střelický said more than eight in 10 respondents took a rational or cautious approach to risk. The overall improvement came despite geopolitical uncertainty and a hot, dry summer, he noted.

Sixteen percent of adults rated their mental health poorly. Among people under 25, the figure was 20 percent—an improvement of 11 percentage points compared with 2024.

Family misfortune and serious health problems were considered the greatest threats to psychological well-being.

For 45 percent of respondents, poor mental health would be a reason to leave a job. That proportion rose to three in five among those under 25.

Men assessed their psychological condition somewhat more positively, while women reported greater awareness of available help and more frequent action to protect their mental health.

People ages 26–40 considered losing their home or regular income, suffering financial harm and experiencing mental health difficulties more likely than other groups did.

Regional results also varied. The Hradec Králové Region retained the highest score at 58.4, followed by Vysočina and the Zlín Region, both at 55.4.

Prague’s score fell 2.4 points to 53.7, below the national figure. The neighboring Pardubice Region recorded the lowest score, at 52.4, dropping from third place last year.

The Plzeň Region, previously last, improved by 2.9 points to 53.0.