NEARLY one half of Slovak citizens see Roma people only in public places, and do not know any personally, a poll commissioned by the Association for Culture, Education and Communications has found. The poll was conducted within a campaign entitled "We Live Together."
Of 3,353 respondents older than 14 years of age, 36 percent said they knew some Roma people, but do not come in regular contact with them. About one-fifth reported regular contact with Roma people, nine percent have neighbours who are Roma, five percent have colleagues who are and four percent have friends among them.
The poll also found that discussing racial issues is not very common in Slovak families. Almost 40 percent of families touch on the topic once a year at most, while 18 percent talk about it once every six months. Only five percent debate it several times a week.
