A new study reveals that prejudices against foreigners remain widespread in Czech society. People from the Middle East and Africa are perceived as a security risk, while Vietnamese individuals are increasingly accepted. The study highlights how attitudes have evolved over time, particularly in light of current geopolitical events.
More than half of Czechs hold prejudiced views towards foreigners. Almost two-thirds (63%) consider foreigners living in the Czech Republic to be a significant security risk. This is the result of a recent survey by the Institute for Empirical Research (STEM).
Among the foreigners living in the Czech Republic, Slovaks and citizens from economically developed countries are the most favoured groups. The Czechs hold particularly favourable views towards English, American, French, and German nationals. Acceptance of Vietnamese people living in the Czech Republic has also increased significantly over the last decade. While in 2005, only 30% of Czechs would have accepted a Vietnamese person as a neighbour, by January 2025, this figure had risen to 71%.
Since the conflict in Ukraine, Czechs are more likely to imagine Ukrainians as neighbours than Russians—before the war, it was the other way around. Fewer than a quarter of Czechs can imagine living next door to an Arab, an Afghan, a Syrian, or a Sudanese person.
An majority (58%) of the Czech public believes that Czechs treat foreigners with prejudice. Forty per cent believe that every ethnic group or minority should have the opportunity to live according to their own traditions and customs. However, 63% of the population still view foreigners living in the Czech Republic as a security risk.
In general, younger people, those with higher education, and members of wealthier households are more tolerant of foreigners. However, even in these groups, expressions of tolerance are not especially pronounced, and the results show similar tendencies as in all other social groups.
The Ten Most Popular Groups of Foreigners in the Czech Republic in 2025 (STEM)
(% of Czechs who see these foreigners as problem-free or preferred neighbours)
- Slovaks: 93%
- English: 83%
- Americans: 81%
- French: 79%
- Germans: 73%
- Croats: 73%
- Jews: 71%
- Vietnamese: 71%
- Chinese: 55%
- Serbs: 52%
