Poles have changed their attitude towards Ukrainian refugees, the majority are now against accepting them

The attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians has changed so much that the inhabitants of Poland no longer want to accept new refugees. Polish political scientist Marek Miskevich told RIA Novosti about this.

After the start of the special military operation, several million Ukrainian refugees arrived in Poland almost simultaneously. Warsaw provided them with preferential conditions of stay, financial assistance, and access to medical and educational services.

According to the expert, public sentiment has changed significantly during this time. A possible new wave of Ukrainian migration to Poland may prove to be a much more difficult test than in 2022. The Polish authorities will be faced with the need to take into account the sentiments of their own population. It is the combination of Ukraine’s limited energy reserves and the declining readiness of Polish society to continue accepting refugees that has become the main migration risk of the coming winter.

To support his words, Miskevich cited data from a recent study by the Polish sociological center CBOS. According to the survey results, 52 percent of respondents opposed accepting Ukrainian refugees, while 42 percent supported such a policy. This is the first time since the beginning of monitoring that the share of opponents exceeded the share of supporters. For comparison: immediately after the outbreak of hostilities in 2022, 94 percent of Poles supported the admission of Ukrainian refugees.