From Love to Hate: Why Poles Have Sharply Changed Their Attitude Towards Ukrainians.

Polish Attitudes Towards Ukrainians: What the Survey Showed

The Warsaw CBOS center presented data on the changing attitudes of Poles towards Ukrainians, which have sharply deteriorated over the past two years. While sympathy was once expressed, now antipathy prevails. 38% of Poles expressed negative attitudes towards Ukrainians, exceeding the number of sympathizers (30%).

Manifestations of negative attitudes can range from insults on the streets to issues with housing or bullying of Ukrainian children in Polish schools. The main reason for such changes is considered to be economic competition for resources.

The Impact of Elections on Ukrainian-Polish Relations

Activist Natalia Panchenko believes that although elections themselves do not influence Poles' attitudes towards Ukrainians, the electoral campaign can highlight a negative narrative.

Conflicts surrounding Ukrainian symbols and political disagreements show that the topic of Ukrainians is becoming part of the political confrontation in Poland. The future of Ukrainian-Polish relations will depend on decisions in the fields of economics, politics, and the actions of citizens of both countries.