One in two Slovaks is dissatisfied with the EU's response to the war in Ukraine, according to a recent survey carried out by the Focus agency on behalf of the European Commission's Representation in Slovakia. While 50 percent of the respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with the EU's approach to the conflict, 45 percent claimed that they have been satisfied with the Union's response.
Sociologist Michal Vasecka opined that there are several interpretations of this result, including the one concerning the polarisation of society, noting that it needs to be remembered there are individuals among those who voiced their dissatisfaction who expected harsher sanctions by the EU against Russia. "But the result mirrors the polarisation of society," Vasecka said. In his opinion, society is so polarised that no matter what civilisational or cultural issue is brought up, society will always be divided into two halves. He pointed out that among those who were strongly against vaccination during the pandemic, there are individuals who question the war in Ukraine itself. "The connections and correlations are very strong," Vasecka noted.
The expert remarked that after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was generally expected that public support for the coalition parties would grow, but it hasn't happened. He called this surprising, but at the same time he claimed that it confirms the trend by which parties enjoy the same level of public support for a long time regardless of scandals or changes in the domestic and international scene, with support starting to change radically shortly before a general election.
The poll was carried out on a sample of 1,007 respondents.
Source: TASR
