On October 3 and 4, elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic will take place. For the first time in history, Czechs living abroad will be able to vote by mail. In connection with this, a number of false reports have appeared in the digital information space in recent months, with the aim of undermining confidence in the integrity of the elections. The Central European Digital Media Observatory – CEDMO conducted a representative sociological survey to find out what specific information was involved, what the attitudes and confidence of the Czech population are towards this new tool, and to what extent they fear manipulation of the election results.
Key findings of the survey:
- 68% of the Czech population is unaware of the rules for voting by mail from abroad.
- Yet 48% of respondents fear fraud and manipulation in connection with this.
- 65% fear the negative influence of social networks, where lies and manipulation can spread unchecked;
- 47% are concerned that the elections will be manipulated by the government, which will not want to relinquish power, and its supporters.
- 36% are concerned that the elections will be manipulated by European Union authorities if they do not like the results;
- 32% are concerned that the elections will be manipulated by information influence from Russia.
Author: CEDMO
Date of publication: September 29, 2025