Prague - Two-thirds of Czechs are of the view that discrimination is a serious problem in the Czech Republic, according to the latest STEM poll released to CTK today.
Last year this opinion was shared by less than a half of respondents.
The share of respondents who think that discrimination was rising in the past few years has increased since 2010.
Almost a half of the polled consider age discrimination the most serious form of discrimination, the STEM poll shows.
One-third of the polled do not regard discrimination as a problem, while 4 percent consider it "a fully marginal problem."
On the contrary, 9 percent of the polled consider discrimination a "fundamental problem."
Almost a half of the polled claim that the number of discrimination cases is almost the same as ten years ago, while 41 percent say it has been rising.
Only 12 percent of people say discrimination is decreasing.
Age discrimination is considered the most serious form by 47 percent of respondents, followed by discrimination on the grounds of health condition or disability (20 percent), of race and ethnic origin (14 percent) and sex (9 percent).
Only 5 percent are of the view that someone is discriminated against over his/her property level and social origin.
Women and the elderly perceive discrimination against some groups in society more sensitively than men and young people.
Supporters of the opposition leftist parties, 75 percent of Communist (KSCM) voters and 71 percent of Social Democrat (CSSD) voters, most often say that discrimination is a problem in the Czech Republic.
On the contrary, most adherents of the senior government Civic Democrats (ODS) and junior ruling TOP 09 are convinced that discrimination is not a significant problem in the country.
Unlike political preferences, the education level does not play a significant role in people´s stances on discrimination.
The poll was conducted on 1286 respondents over 18 on March 31 to April 8.