Diverging Views on Russia and the West: A Sociopolitical Analysis of Czech and Slovak Pre-Invasion Attitudes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34135/sjps.260104Keywords:
Czechia, Slovakia, Central and Eastern Europe, Geopolitics, pro-Russian attitudes, pro-Western attitudes, ideological predictorsAbstract
This study investigates the sociodemographic and ideological variables associated with endorsement of pro-Russian/pro-Western and pro-Western/anti-Russian political statements in Czechia and Slovakia. Utilizing data collected in the summer of 2021, prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we examine popular attitudes in both countries through responses to twenty-five political statements regarding Russia, the EU, and NATO. Sociodemographic and ideological variables, such as authoritarianism and conservatism, were analyzed to determine their predictive power. Czech respondents had higher scores on the pro-Western/anti-Russian index and lower scores on the pro-Russian/anti-Western index than Slovak respondents. Notably, sociodemographic variables accounted for relatively little variation in the two index scores, while ideological variables showed stronger predictive differences between the two countries. This study highlights the complex interplay of education, ideological orientation, and identity self-definition in shaping public opinion in Czechia and Slovakia, providing valuable insights into the variables associated with responses to political statements concerning Russia and Western institutions.
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