This chapter analyses data from the 2024 ActEU survey conducted during the European Parliament (EP) election campaign in Czechia, a period marked by heightened political engagement, Europeanisation, and polarisation. The study examines how key issues—immigration, the environment, and security—have shaped political attitudes, trust in institutions, and electoral participation. While elite and mass polarisation remained low on immigration and environmental issues, foreign and security policy, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia, emerged as highly divisive. The findings reveal a complex trust landscape: citizens expressed greater trust in local institutions than in national or EU bodies, with younger cohorts generally more trusting than older ones. Feelings of political representation followed a similar pattern, with regional institutions perceived as more representative than national or EU counterparts. Trust in politicians and institutions was positively associated with electoral participation at both local and EU levels, but not at the national level. The chapter also finds no evidence of mass attitudinal polarisation on migration or environmental issues, though political trust correlates positively with pro-migration and moderate environmental attitudes. These insights highlight the nuanced interplay between trust, representation, and participation in a politically charged electoral context, offering a timely reflection on democratic engagement in Czechia ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections.

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Czechia: Attitudinal, Behavioural, and Representational Trust and Legitimacy in the Czech Multi-Level Democracy

  • Jan Kovář

摘要

This chapter analyses data from the 2024 ActEU survey conducted during the European Parliament (EP) election campaign in Czechia, a period marked by heightened political engagement, Europeanisation, and polarisation. The study examines how key issues—immigration, the environment, and security—have shaped political attitudes, trust in institutions, and electoral participation. While elite and mass polarisation remained low on immigration and environmental issues, foreign and security policy, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia, emerged as highly divisive. The findings reveal a complex trust landscape: citizens expressed greater trust in local institutions than in national or EU bodies, with younger cohorts generally more trusting than older ones. Feelings of political representation followed a similar pattern, with regional institutions perceived as more representative than national or EU counterparts. Trust in politicians and institutions was positively associated with electoral participation at both local and EU levels, but not at the national level. The chapter also finds no evidence of mass attitudinal polarisation on migration or environmental issues, though political trust correlates positively with pro-migration and moderate environmental attitudes. These insights highlight the nuanced interplay between trust, representation, and participation in a politically charged electoral context, offering a timely reflection on democratic engagement in Czechia ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections.