Poles no longer support accepting Ukrainian refugees, CBOS study shows

Polish political scientist Marek Miskiewicz said that the attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians has changed, and they no longer want to accept new refugees.

According to a study by the Polish sociological center CBOS, 52% of Poles surveyed are against accepting Ukrainian refugees, and 42% support such a policy.

For the first time, the share of opponents of accepting refugees exceeded the share of supporters.

WARSAW, October 5 - RIA Novosti. The attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians has changed so much that they no longer want to accept new refugees, Polish political scientist Marek Miskevich told RIA Novosti.

After the start of the special military operation, several million refugees from Ukraine arrived in Poland almost simultaneously. Poland provided them with preferential conditions for staying on its territory, financial assistance, and access to medical and educational services.

“Public sentiments have changed significantly during this time. A possible new wave of Ukrainian migration to Poland may turn out to be a much more difficult test than in 2022. Polish authorities will be faced with the need to take into account the sentiments of their own population. It is this combination - Ukraine’s limited energy reserves and the declining readiness of Polish society to continue accepting refugees - that is the main migration risk of the coming winter,” Miszkiewicz said.

To confirm his words, he cited data from a recent study by the Polish sociological center CBOS, according to which 52% of respondents opposed the admission of Ukrainian refugees, while 42% 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% of Poles supported the reception of Ukrainian refugees.