In one year, support for Slovakia's NATO membership in the country dropped from 72% to 58%, and support for European Union membership from 77% to 64%.

40% of the population consider Russia to be mainly responsible for the war in Ukraine, the proportion of those who think so is the lowest among the Central and Eastern European states. 34% consider the West to be the source of the war conflict, because they think it provoked Russia. 17% believe that the war was caused by Ukraine, according to a survey conducted by Globsec at the end of March, during which 8,000 people were questioned.

57% of the population of Slovakia consider receiving military equipment to help the defending Ukraine. At the same time, 69% see this as a provocation by Russia.

59% of the population approves that Slovakia provides assistance to Ukrainian refugees, while 69% believe that this is at the expense of the domestic population.

Róbert Vass, the president of Globsec, said that the results of the regularly conducted survey on the support of the membership have been influenced by the war in Ukraine for the second year. "The population of some states has become even more unified in terms of foreign policy orientation, commitment to the West and Euro-Atlantic integration. Elsewhere, for example in Slovakia, the spread of misleading propaganda has intensified, which divides society, undermines democracy and weakens the unity of the Euro-Atlantic camp," Vass said at his press conference on Friday.

Based on the results of the survey, according to Globsec, it is necessary to continue explaining the need for assistance to Ukraine in the member states, as well as distancing from Russia. In addition, it is necessary to promote people's critical thinking and better prepare the population for crisis situations. Long-term measures are needed, and it is also necessary to clarify, for example, what people mean by democracy.

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The survey was conducted in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia.

Source: Felvidék.ma

Cover image illustration: globsec.org)