Poland’s attitude toward refugees from Ukraine has changed. What is the reason for this?
14 April 22:18
According to a report by the University of Warsaw, the attitude of Poles towards refugees from Ukraine is gradually changing. A study conducted by the university shows that it is positive, but increasingly people are beginning to feel a negative attitude, reportsKomersant ukrainskyi.
“Our respondents have such an identification that Ukrainians believe that they are allegedly owed everything. There are claims for social assistance. There are also claims about the lack of gratitude for the help provided by the Poles, which the Poles do not feel in their communication with Ukrainians,” said Robert Staniszewski of the University of Warsaw.
However, despite the growing negative attitude, half of Poles still see benefits from the presence of Ukrainians in Poland. This includes filling the labor market and increasing state budget revenues through tax payments, polskieradio reports .
“This includes filling the labor market deficit and filling the state budget with taxes. About 40 percent of respondents see threats. In a study conducted in January, these threats include: law violations and crime, which was not the case before. But filling the labor market deficit is also perceived as a threat,” added Stanishevsky.
According to the PESEL database, almost a million refugees from Ukraine were registered in Poland as of the beginning of February 2025.
Analyzing the material, we can see that the attitude of Poles towards refugees from Ukraine is complex, with elements of both positive perception and negative ideas.
At the same time, the country receives certain benefits from the presence of Ukrainians in Poland, particularly in the field of labor and economy.
As for the negative attitudes, they are mainly related to the fear of law violations and crime. Nevertheless, the report shows that the attitudes of Poles towards refugees from Ukraine are quite complex and require further study.
