Ján Kollár (1793–1852), writer, poet, Slavist, and archaeologist, was a Slovak patriot who championed the Slav struggle against foreign oppression. Ludovít Stúr (1815–56) is the founder of the Slovak literary language and modern Slovak literature. Founder of scientific Slavic studies was Pavel Josef Safacrík (1795–1861), whose Slavonic Antiquities had great scholarly influence. Andrej Hlinka (1864–1938) led the Slovak Catholic autonomist movement. The greatest Slovak poet, Pavel Hviezdoslav (1849–1921), translated foreign poetry, refined the language, and contributed to Slovak awakening. The Robin Hood of the Slovaks, Juraj Jánošík (1688–1713), fought the Hungarians. Milan Rastislav Stefánik (1880–1919), military leader, astronomer, and ally of Tomáš Masaryk, represented the Slovaks in their struggle for liberty. Alexander Dubcek (1921-92) was first secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party (1968-69). His attempt to increase civil liberties led to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact in 1968. In 1989 he was elected the Federal Assembly's first speaker.

The most important library in Slovakia is the Slovak National Library (4.4 million volumes), founded in 1863 and located at Martin. The State Scientific Library in Banská Bstrica (1926) holds almost two million volumes, and the Comenius University in Bratislava has the country's largest university collection of 2.2 million volumes. In 1997, Slovakia had 2,630 public library service branches holding a total of 19.4 million volumes. Slovakia has more than 50 museums. The Slovak National Gallery (1948), the Slovak National Museum (1924), the Natural History Museum (1948), and the History Museum (1924), are all in Bratislava. The State Gallery of Art is in Banská Bstrica. There are dozens of regional museums throughout the country.

In 1998, there were 1.9 million main line telephones in use throughout the country, with reports of 736,662 mobile cellular phones in use by 1999. There are three government boards appointed by a majority vote of Parliament to supervise radio and television broadcasting: The Slovak Television Council and the Slovak Radio Council establish broadcasting policy for state-owned television and radio. The Slovak Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting issues broadcast licenses for nongovernment groups and administers advertising laws and other regulations. In 1998, there were 15 AM and 78 FM radio stations. In 1995, there were 38 television stations, plus 864 repeaters. In 2000, there were about 965 radios and 407 television sets for every 1,000 people. The same year, there were about 137 personal computers in use for every 1,000 people, with 6 Internet service providers serving 700,000 users.

In 2002, there were 14 major daily newspapers, including (with average circulation figures): Novy Cas ( New Time , 230,000), Pravda ( Truth , 165,000), Praca ( Labor , 80,000), and SMENA (a youth journal, 80,000). The daily sports newspaper Sport had a circulation of 85,000 in 2002. The two major Hungarian newspapers are the daily Uj Szo ( New Word , 42,000 circulation) and the weekly Szabad Ujsag ( Free Journal , 40,000) There are also a number of government bulletins and small circulation publications printed by and for minority language groups.

The Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry is located in Bratislava. There are professional associations for a number of occupations, including teaching and a number of medical professions. The Slovak Academy of Sciences promotes public interest, education, and research in various scientific fields. National youth organizations include the Association of Slovak Students, Civic Democratic Youth, YMCA/YWCA, and Slovak Scouting. Kiwanis and Lion's Clubs have programs in the country. Women's organizations include the Alliance of Women in Slovakia. Greenpeace and the Red Cross have national chapters.

n 1992, the Slovak Association of Towns and Villages, comprised of some 2,000 towns, was engaged in recovering all housing units from former state administration authorities. As of 2001, there were about 1,884,846 dwelling units nationwide. Most of these were detached homes. In a 1999 report, there was an estimated housing deficit of 180,000 dwellings. The projected need for new housing was at about 24,000 housing units per year. The average rate of construction has been about 6,000 units per year.

Slovakia has an estimated adult literacy rate of 99%. Education is compulsory for nine years, approximately up to the age of 15. Elementary education lasts for four years followed by eight years of secondary education, which is provided in general or specialized and technical schools. In 1997, primary schools enrolled 329,880 students and employed 16,820 teachers. Student-to-teacher ratio stood at 20 to 1. In the same year, secondary schools had 677,377 students and 54,694 teachers. There were 19 pupils per teacher at the primary level in 1999. In the same year, public expenditure on education was estimated at 4.3% of GDP.

Slovakia has 13 universities, with the oldest being Cornenius (Komensky) University in Bratislava. The Pavel Josef Afarík University, founded in 1959, is in Košice. In 1997, 101,764 students were enrolled at the institutions of higher education; teaching staff totaled 9,849.

Slovakia's social security system was first introduced in 1906. The current program was initiated in 1988 and amended in 1990, 1994, and 1995. Old age, disability and survivor's pensions are funded by employee and employer contributions as well as government subsidies. Retirement is set at age 60 for men, and age 53–57 for women, depending upon the number of children raised. A family allowances system provides benefits for children in families below the poverty line. There are also sickness and maternity benefits, a workers' compensation program, and unemployment benefits.

Women and men are equal under the law, enjoying the same property, inheritance, and other rights, however discrimination persists. Women on the average earn 22% less than men. Despite legal safeguards, the small number of women in private and public leadership roles is evidence of continuing cultural barriers to full equality. The Coordinating Committee for Women's Affairs has not been successful at protecting women against violence, health risks, or economic disadvantages. Domestic abuse and sexual violence against women remains an extensive and underreported problem.

Roma minorities suffer from high levels of unemployment and housing discrimination. Attacks against Roma and other minorities by skinhead extremists were reported. Human rights were generally well respected, but some democratic freedoms were not respected. These include the intimidation of political opponents and interference with the media. There were also reports of police abuse of Roma.