Half of Czechs sees bias toward foreigners as prevalent in their country

More than half of the Czech public believes that the domestic population approaches foreigners with prejudice and bias, according to new data from the STEM analytical institute.

The "Trends" survey, conducted in January 2026, reveals a complex landscape of integration in the Czech Republic, where acceptance of certain nationalities is rising even as general security concerns remain a fixture of public opinion.

The study found that 57 percent of Czechs acknowledge a prevalent "prejudice and bias" toward foreign nationals residing in the country.

This internal critique of Czech tolerance comes at a time when the foreign-born population has grown significantly, yet only 38 percent of respondents believe that every person living in the Czech Republic should have the right to obtain citizenship regardless of their ethnic origin.

However, she noted a major shift in the perception of the Vietnamese community. While only 30 percent of Czechs were comfortable having Vietnamese neighbors in 2005, that figure has surged to 73 percent in 2026.

Security remains a primary lens through which Czechs view migration. Currently, 56 percent of the population considers foreigners residing in the Czech Republic to be a "too great" security risk.

While this represents a majority, it marks a notable decrease from the peak of the European migration crisis in 2016, when 70 percent of adults expressed such fears.

The war in Ukraine has also recalibrated local attitudes. Since the 2022 invasion, Ukrainians have become more acceptable as neighbors than Russians in the eyes of the Czech public—a reversal of the pre-war trend.

Despite this, acceptance of nationalities from the Middle East and Central Asia, including Syrians and Afghans, remains consistently low.

The survey highlights a divide in how Czechs view the rights of minorities to maintain their identity. Only 41 percent of respondents believe that ethnic groups should be able to live according to their own traditions and customs.

While younger and more highly educated residents tend to express more tolerant views, STEM researchers noted that these tendencies are relatively consistent across most social and economic groups in the country.