Preferences and influence of the value of health in the contemporary Czech population

Abstract

This paper presents the research results concerning the preferences of the value of health and whether these preferences are dependent on several social factors: gender, age, population size of the village/town/city the respondents come from, qualification level, occupation and professional orientation, family economic situation, attitudes to the public social care policy, faith in God and attitude towards religion. Research was conducted throughout the entire country using 5,425 respondents, who were asked to fill in a questionnaire. Except for one factor -attitude to the public social care policy -all of the other factors have been recognized as significantly influencing the attitude to the value of health. The results of the research have two main impacts: firstly, they support the values theory according to which we can assume the key role of values in human activity and, secondly, they could have a serious influence on today's healthcare and social care practices, because they influence the motivation of clients and consequently could support or not support the healing process.