04. ledna, 2026 Michal Vašečka
Public opinion in Slovakia has also undergone many changes in the last three years in connection with foreign policy and geopolitical challenges, and they are even more remarkable because research mapping shifts in value orientations and attitudes towards polarizing cultural and civilizational topics has recorded practically no development. The inhabitants of Slovakia are therefore not moving anywhere in terms of values, although some manifestations of pragmatism and even utilitarianism have deepened among them. Similarly, numerous cognitive crashes that regularly occur in respondents to public opinion polls were exposed.
The March survey by Future Slovakia Forum and the Focus agency, entitled Where Does Slovakia Belong?, brought favourable results (at first glance, at least) from the perspective of the so-called pro-Western and pro-European forces. Almost two-thirds of Slovak citizens (63.5 percent) prefer the country to orient itself towards the West, or rather towards the European Union. This is three times more than those who would prefer to orient themselves towards the East (Russia) – 19.2 percent.
Those who tend to see the glass half-empty rather than half-full must be satisfied. The Western alternative is more than three times more likely than the Eastern alternative in the eyes of Slovaks. However, sceptics will argue that such a high level of foreign policy preference for the East is unusual among EU countries and points to a significant deviation of Slovakia from the remaining states of Central and Eastern Europe, except for Bulgaria, where, according to repeated Globsec surveys, it is similar, but even there it is slightly lower.
To see today’s world and Slovakia in the most optimistic light possible, it can be stated that the cited research indicates that Robert Fico and his government, with their actions and the overall logic of their foreign policy, are going against the majority opinion, will and needs of the country’s citizens. Moreover, because Slovakia is still the most rural state in Central Europe with a significant rural-urban split in value orientations, it is surprising that the population density of residential locations plays a smaller role in pro-Western orientation than one might assume. The preference for the West is held not only by the urban population, but also by people living in the smallest municipalities with up to one thousand inhabitants (56.8 percent for, 20.5 percent against, the rest do not know). However, some of those who feel part of the West are not negatively disposed towards Robert Fico’s government. Its steps in the field of foreign policy are critically assessed by 54.8 percent of respondents. Which is less than the 63.5 percent of the population declaring a pro-Western orientation.
The “devil” is hidden, as usual, in details. Even though the people of Slovakia feel they are part of the West, they also expect that they will not have to pay too much for it. This is of course an illusion, there is no such thing as a free dinner. The utilitarianism of a country that has become accustomed to protection from allies and is at the same time largely convinced that there is no point in defending itself is quite evident. Although 70.6 percent of its inhabitants prefer that Slovakia remain a member of the EU and NATO, at the same time almost half of society (49.8 percent) wants military neutrality. Therefore, the statement by the Slovak Minister of Defense, Robert Kaliňák, in Warsaw, which at first glance is shocking, that there is no need to defend itself against Russia, because sooner or later the Russians will always leave, has its own cover and response among Slovak citizens.
The relatively high preference for neutrality seems inconsistent with the support for NATO membership. However, sceptics often suggest that it is not as inconsistent as it might seem. It is as if some Slovaks were saying to themselves: „We will be neutral within NATO, mainly so that no one sees us and no one gets angry with us. And most importantly, it would be ideal if someone else paid for it.“ Does that sound cruel and unfair? Well, judge for yourself. Seven out of ten Slovaks support NATO membership, but half of them (49.6 percent) do not want to invest more money in defence. According to them, defence spending should not increase above two percent of GDP. Only a tenth of the population would be willing to accept an increase above three percent of GDP.
When it comes to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, it suddenly becomes clear that solidarity with others is not exactly something Slovakia can boast about. While 67.3 percent of Slovaks support humanitarian aid to the attacked country, only 26.3 percent support military aid. Moreover, more than half of the population chooses in surveys, among the options for how the war in Ukraine should end, a “peace agreement” that would give Russia part of Ukraine’s territory, which is de facto capitulation to the aggressor. Acceptance of the thesis that the defence of Ukraine also means the defence of Slovakia is a relatively marginal issue under the Tatras.
Bearing in mind attitudes towards the conflict in Ukraine, it is important to point out the lack of solidarity of the Slovak population towards other states if they were threatened by military aggression. Almost 30 percent of respondents would prefer not to intervene in war conflicts in neighbouring countries. Almost half of the citizens would prefer humanitarian aid and only 12 percent would consider military aid. It turns out that the idea of one’s own smallness and lack of self-confidence leads to atrophy of solidarity with neighbours among Slovaks. It is unclear what kind of partner Slovakia would be with such a public opinion in the event of a wider conflict in Europe.
What can we take from this data? The Slovak population is declaratively pro-Western and the majority understands that Slovakia’s place is in the West, or rather in what is left of it. Slovaks are also utilitarian and pragmatic, which no one can blame them for. The question remains, however, whether the effort to suppress solidarity with partners and the idea that it is necessary to be on good terms with everyone, play it safe and not draw too much attention to oneself is a pragmatic and rational approach in a time of paradigmatic changes in the geopolitics.
Developing the country’s position as part of the global West and the willingness to defend the values, with which Slovakia joined the EU and NATO more than twenty years ago appear, despite various inconsistencies, to be important to most of the population.
At the same time, however, it appears that cognitive caroms among the population of Slovakia threaten the geopolitical security and democratic orientation of the country. Although it is a member of NATO and the EU, half of society dreams of neutrality. Slovakia supports Ukraine in a humanitarian dimension, but would not hesitate to sacrifice it for the sake of a false peace. And while hybrid warfare is visibly influencing public opinion, Robert Fico’s government is turning away from reality and reinforcing narratives that are systematically distancing Slovakia from its European allies.
A good example is the shocking differences in how Slovaks perceive geopolitical threats – 51.5 percent of them consider Russia a danger, but a high 38.6 percent do not. Conversely, 38.7 percent of citizens consider the United States a threat, which reflects a long-standing anti-American sentiment.
And so, at a time when European leaders are creating a strategy to strengthen the continent’s security, Slovakia is teetering on the edge. Instead of becoming an active player in the so-called coalition of the willing, it is becoming an EU pariah. Slovak public discourse is increasingly dominated by narratives that undermine the country’s European future and create the illusion that it can survive being militarily neutral.
First published in June 2025. Translated from Slovak by Michal Vašečka.
The article was written in the framework of the project Reflections of the War in Ukraine in Visegrad Countries. The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
SPECIÁLNÍ ČÍSLO/SPECIAL EDITION