Carrying them out requires public acceptance of the inevitability of rising unemployment and higher prices, as inefficient plants are closed and government subsidies are removed. Yet, although the respondents show broad support for open markets, public attitudes toward the above-mentioned specific aspects of reform indicate a more mixed picture. The Czechs are probably more likely to accept unemployment because their jobless rate is considerably lower than elsewhere in the region. The respondents were fairly evenly split as to whether most businesses should be privately or state-owned. A majority of Czechs, Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians favor private ownership.
Foreign investment enjoys more support than opposition in each country.
In sum, these data show that support for a market economy is strongest in the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries. Elsewhere, publics voice considerably weaker support for the reforms necessary to transform their economy. This finding is not unexpected given the dislocation and uncertainty associated with economic upheaval. The challenge for policy makers will be to allay the concerns of the disaffected while taking care not to extinguish the new-found spirit of entrepreneurship. Another challenge for policy makers in the region will involve resolving conflicts among competing interest groups.