The Velvet revolution – which overthrew the communist regime – is viewed favourably by less than half of Slovaks, a new survey conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs found.
The Czechoslovak Velvet revolution in November 1989 overthrew the communist regime, which had ruled the country since 1948. This is the first time that the percentage of people with a positive opinion about the revolution has dropped below 50%.
In 2014, when the survey was first conducted, 51% viewed the revolution positively. Since then, the number of people with positive views rose until 2021, when it peaked at 58%. This year, the percentage dropped dramatically. More than a quarter (29%) of Slovaks see it as both positive and negative, and 15% consider it negative.
Zora Bútorová from the Institute for Public Affairs attributes this change in perception mainly to the current negative climate in the society caused by the worsened social situation of the population, the political crisis in the country and the intensifying influence of conspiracy networks and anti-systemic groups from Slovakia and abroad.
“The fact that the proportion of people with a favourable attitude towards the Velvet Revolution has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time since 2014 reflects the extremely unfavourable socio-political climate in Slovakia, caused by the accumulation of several negative trends and events,” Bútorová said.
A more favourable attitude towards November 1989 was taken by people with higher education, especially university education, and people doing skilled intellectual work. The opposite attitude was held by people with primary education and apprenticeships without a high school diploma, unskilled manual workers, the unemployed and pensioners.
The percentage of negative opinions rises with age. When it comes to voters of political parties, the highest percentage (32%) of people with a negative opinion has been recorded among the voters of Smer-SD of former Prime Minister Robert Fico. Only 26% of Smer voters see the revolution positively. Voters of the far-right Republican party view revolution slightly more favourably (32%) and 21% had negative opinions.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)
Source: euractiv.com
