Survey: President Pavel Leads Public Trust Rankings in Czech Republic

Public trust in leading politicians in the Czech Republic remains sharply divided at the beginning of 2026. A recent survey shows clear differences between the political camps – with distinct winners and losers. The politician who enjoys the highest level of trust among the Czech public is once again President Petr Pavel.

In the first opinion barometer of 2026, the Centrum pro výzkum veřejného mínění (CVVM) at the Sociologický ústav AV ČR surveyed the Czech public on the trustworthiness of the country’s key political figures.

Participants were able to state whether they “rather trust”, “rather do not trust”, “do not know” the person, or “are unsure”. In addition, a so-called trust index was calculated – the difference between trust and distrust.

President Pavel at the top

President Petr Pavel achieved the highest trust rating. Sixty-two per cent of respondents expressed trust in him. With an index score of +28, he is clearly ahead of all other politicians. His support is particularly strong among voters of the former governing coalition (SPOLU, STAN and the Pirates), where approval is almost unanimous (97 per cent). Trust is also comparatively high among non-voters in the 2025 parliamentary election (61 per cent) and among supporters of the Motoristé sobě party (48 per cent). It is lowest among voters of ANO (30 per cent) and SPD (15 per cent).

Divided picture in government and opposition

In second place is Health Minister Adam Vojtěch with 50 per cent trust and an index of +18. He is followed by Industry Minister Karel Havlíček (44 per cent trust), Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (43 per cent) and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (43 per cent). While Havlíček records a relatively balanced result, distrust outweighs trust in the case of Schillerová and Babiš.

Education Minister Robert Plaga (+10) and Senate President Miloš Vystrčil (+6) also achieve positive index scores. Vystrčil enjoys particularly strong backing among voters of the former governing parties – 76 per cent among SPOLU supporters, 60 per cent among STAN voters and 56 per cent among the Pirates.

High levels of rejection for individual figures

Filip Turek faces the highest level of distrust. Seventy per cent of respondents say they rather do not trust him; only 20 per cent express trust. His index score of –50 is the lowest in the entire field. The SPD chairman Tomio Okamura also records high rejection levels (66 per cent distrust), as does Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (60 per cent distrust).

At least half of the population also expresses distrust towards the chairman of the Pirate Party Zdeněk Hřib, STAN leader Vít Rakušan, Prime Minister Babiš and Finance Minister Schillerová.

Clear political camps for the Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament

Prime Minister Babiš can rely on the united support of his own electorate: 92 per cent of ANO supporters express trust in him, as do 78 per cent of SPD voters. Among supporters of STAN, the Pirates and SPOLU, trust remains in the single digits.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura, achieves particularly high ratings among SPD voters (88 per cent) and also among ANO supporters (57 per cent). Among voters of the former governing coalition, trust, by contrast, remains at only a few percentage points.

The survey thus points to a continuing highly polarised political climate in the Czech Republic: while President Pavel enjoys comparatively broad approval across party lines, government and opposition remain clearly divided along their respective voter bases.