Slovaks regard ethnic tensions as more powerful than other kinds of social conflict in Slovakia, according to the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2009-2010 carried out by the sociology department of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV). The results of the survey were presented at a press conference on Tuesday, January 26.
According to the 1,159 respondents surveyed, conflicts between the majority population and the Roma minority are the most bitter, followed by tensions between Slovaks and ethnic Hungarians and those between the well-off and people on lower incomes. Slovaks considered the first two kinds of conflict to be the most publicised social and political problems in Slovakia, the TASR newswire quoted the survey as saying.
According to Ján Bunčák from the sociology department of the Philosophy Faculty of Bratislava's Comenius University, who presented the results of the survey, the tension between Slovaks and ethnic Hungarians has been "significantly politicised". To support this assertion, he pointed to the fact that this kind of tension was reported mostly by people from Žilina, who he said are unlikely be directly affected by this phenomenon. Very few ethnic Hungarians live in Žilina Region.
According to the survey, negligible conflict exists between young and old people, the employed and pensioners, and between men and women. Young people under 30 say they feel ethnic tensions most, the Sme daily wrote. Almost two thirds of inhabitants are happy with their lives, Slovaks more than Roma or ethnic Hungarians. TASR, Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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