US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA236

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? 
--------------------------- 
 
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 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
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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