THE CZECH PUBLIC (1993) ON CHARTER 77 - RESULTS OF THE POSTAL SURVEY

The report summarizes the results of the mailed survey whose focus was to map the opinions of the Czech public on the Charter 77 movement. This survey was the first (and perhaps the last) attempt to capture the Czech public's response to the unique phenomenon which Charter 77 undoubtedly was. The results of this survey reveal predominantly the opinions of sympathetic respondents (the questionnaire was mostly answered by such people, while people antipathetic to Charter 77 only seldom reacted to the mailed questionnaire), evidenced the fragmentary manner in which Czech people have been informed about Charter 77, and how this lack of information influences their opinions and evaluations. Even if it was not a representative survey, its aim - to capture, at least partially, the array of opinions relating to the issue - was achieved. The tested hypotheses were confirmed particularly in the oldest age group where, in comparison to all younger age groups, people are better informed and more distinctive in their opinions.