Public Opinion Research Data on the Entry of the Czech Republic into NATO

Abstract

(Author's Note: This article was written in 1998, before the Czech Republic was formally accepted as a member of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] in Mar 1999.) Analyzes results of public opinion polls examining attitudes toward NATO among the Czech population. Support for & opposition to NATO entry closely corresponds to the political orientation of respondents, dividing Right & Left. This distinguishes the Czech Republic from Poland, where support for the country's application for NATO membership comes also from a substantial proportion of Left-oriented voters. Those against Czech membership include not only individuals with a leftist orientation, but also nationalists. This analysis of public opinion research data attempts to identify how responses to questions about the consequences of NATO entry can sort people (whose attitude toward NATO is not known) into groups of supporters & opponents of the Czech Republic joining NATO.