Most Czechs say same-sex marriage law won't negatively impact daily lives

A new poll from research firms Nielsen and Publicis Groupe shows that 9 percent of Czechs think their lives will worsen after the passage of same-sex marriage law, while 80 percent believe it will not affect their lives, and 11 percent expect an improvement.

The polling firms surveyed 1,021 Czech adults over 18 last October. Ondřej Švéda, a representative of the firms, released the results Monday.

The Chamber of Deputies recently debated the same-sex marriage bill. It is scheduled for a second reading on Wednesday. The house’s constitutional and legal committee has not taken a position on the legislation. It failed to garner enough votes to endorse the bill or proposed amendments.

One amendment would have allowed same-sex couples to enter a partnership with the same rights as marriage, while another added removing the ability to adopt children.

According to the poll, over half of Czechs would be satisfied if politicians could quickly resolve the issue so they can move on to other matters. Thirty percent do not care how swiftly it is addressed. Eleven percent feel the solution should not be rushed.

Supporters of the opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy party were most concerned about worsening lives due to the law, with 21 percent expecting deterioration. Nearly 10 percent of governing ANO party backers felt the same, as did 7 percent of Together coalition supporters.

No voters for the governing Pirates or Mayors and Independents parties anticipated their lives worsening.

Some respondents said they would stop voting for their preferred party if it did not back same-sex marriage, including 10 percent of ANO voters and 19 percent of those who support ODS.

Jsme fér, a same-sex marriage advocacy group, said the bill was introduced almost two years ago. According to the organization, over 170,000 people have signed a petition to support marriage equality for all couples.