RECENT POLLS: SLOVAKS MORE POSITIVE ON NATO

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000236

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPAO LO NATO
SUBJECT: RECENT POLLS: SLOVAKS MORE POSITIVE ON NATO
MEMBERSHIP

60 Percent of Slovaks Support NATO Entry
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1. (U) 60.8 percent of Slovaks view the country,s NATO entry
as a good decision. The OMV polling agency and the Institute
of Political Science at the Slovak Academy of Sciences
carried out the February 3-10 poll which had a sample of
2,221 respondents. The OMV polling agency indicated mostly
university-educated people, businesspeople, inhabitants of
bigger towns and the Bratislava region, young people aged
18-29 and those who voted for ruling coalition predominate
among NATO supporters.


2. (SBU) Comment: The Slovak public seems to be getting more
comfortable with its NATO membership. Two separate polling
agencies found 52 percent (April 2004) and 50 percent
(November 2004) of Slovaks support their country,s NATO
accession in contrast to an all-time low of 34 percent
support at the start of the Iraq war in February 2003. As
memory of the 1998 NATO air strikes on Belgrade and the
perceived NATO linkage to the run up to the Iraq war fade,
Slovak public support for the institution has grown. End
Comment.

Is the Glass Half Full Yet?
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3. (U) Slovaks are divided into two almost equally numerous
camps regarding their opinion on the direction that Slovak
society is taking. An early March survey of 1,047
respondents by the FOCUS agency shows that 46.3 percent of
those polled think Slovak society is on the right track.
With a difference within the margin of error, 48.7 percent
hold negative views of the direction taken by Slovak society.
The remaining five percent of respondents were unable to
answer.


4. (SBU) Comment: The FOCUS poll is a consistent
year-to-year measure of Slovak perceptions of the country's
well-being. Despite solid macroeconomic performance, a flood
of foreign investment creating new jobs, and successful
integration into NATO and the European Union, half of the
oft-pessimistic Slovak population continues to doubt the
long-term benefits of the government's reform program. Seven
cabinet ministries are working under a grant from the World
Bank to better explain the government's reform program to the
general populace. Governing coalition parties realize this
is a high priority if they wish to stay in power after the
2006 parliamentary elections. End comment.
Army, President, and Police "Most Trusted" Institutions
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5. (U) The same FOCUS poll found that 76 percent of
respondents trust the army, 64 percent trust the president,
and 47 percent trust the police. Slovaks trust both
President Gasparovic personally and the institution of the
presidency. The presidency consistently polls as the most
trusted political institution. The last poll measuring
institutional trust levels conducted in July/August 2004
found 45 percent of Slovaks trust the president, while only
14 trust parliament and 10 percent trust the ruling
coalition.


6. (SBU) Comment: Institutions more involved in the policy
process are more open to public criticism. Combined with a
sense of permanent scandal in parliament and the coalition as
portrayed in most media outlets and furthered by politicians,
the relatively immune institutions enjoy much higher levels
of trust. End Comment.
THAYER


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