Survey: Slovaks Feel Lack of Humanity Most in Their Country

Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - As many as 70 percent of the respondents in a survey carried out on the occasion of European Public Health Week stated that what Slovaks especially see as lacking in their country is humanity. Meanwhile, Slovaks perceive economic pressure and the political situation as the biggest threats to their mental well-being, with half of the them feeling exhausted, according to the survey. More than 60 percent of the respondents said that they view their mental health as good or excellent. Their evaluations included positive feelings such as calm (51.9 percent), gratitude (42 percent), happiness (32.8 percent) and enthusiasm (18.3 percent). "However, a feeling of overall exhaustion came to the fore in one in two people," noted Zuzana Katreniakova of the Social and Behavioural Medicine Institute of Pavol Jozef Safarik University's Medical Faculty and of the Slovak Public Health Association. In addition to exhaustion, the most prevalent negative feelings among the respondents were stress (44.1 percent), sadness (28.5 percent), anxiety (21.2 percent), loneliness (18.8 percent) and depressive feelings (16.5 percent), she said. "The generation of young people under 29, who are young working or studying people, which is the young productive generation, stands out the most, declaring these feelings at such a young age. We should take this as a warning signal," stated Katreniakova. People cited observing current events and information in the media as causes of their negative feelings. The survey further showed that the main factors that negatively affect the mental health of Slovaks include the economic situation and inflation, which are viewed as the most threatening by 48.5 percent of the respondents. These were followed by the political situation in Slovakia (34.4 percent) and military conflicts (24.24 percent). Katreniakova pointed out that employers don't offer mental health benefits to their employees. Only some of them provide relaxation zones at their companies, lectures on mental health, consultations with psychologists or have a psychologist employed at the workplace. The survey was carried out by the MNFORCE agency in May 2025 on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents. European Public Health Week is a Europe-wide initiative that took place between May 12 and 16 this year. ko/df/lin