The majority of Poles are against financing Ukrainians

The research company Kantar Public asked the Poles what they think about helping the Ukrainians after five months of war in Ukraine. Wyborcza wrote about the results of this social question, conducted for the non-governmental organization Free Press for Eastern Europe.

Health care

When asked whether Ukrainian refugees should have the same access to medical care as Poles, 65% of respondents answered in the affirmative. Only every fifth respondent was against. Elderly people are more supportive of the right to equal access to doctors. In the age group under 35, this opinion is shared by only slightly more than half of the respondents.

In Poland, access to health care is insufficient, worsened during the pandemic, and the arrival of refugees further weakened it. Therefore, it is really generous when 65% of Poles are in favor of equal rights, says Jovita Razinska from Kantar.

Cash Aid

According to the survey, 43% of Poles believe that refugees receive too many benefits. Thinking the other way around - 35%, moreover, they are mostly people with higher education, living in big cities.

Recall that in Poland, refugees received only one-time assistance - 300 zlotys per person (about $ 60), and families with children receive a monthly allowance of 500 zlotys per child. Other payments were made by international organizations in the amount of 710 zlotys per person (approximately $140) over a period of three months. However, due to long queues, not everyone who needed such assistance managed to wait for these payments.

Tomasz Soberajski, a sociologist at the University of Warsaw, believes that skepticism about the bailout is linked to the difficult economic situation.

The high acceptance of health sharing is due to the fact that the costs are invisible. At the same time, financial payments to refugees can be calculated. And this is especially important now, when millions of Poles are impoverished due to inflation and poor fiscal policy of the state, - explains the scientist.

Polish matters

80% of Poles believe that Ukrainian refugees should learn Polish. Tomasz Soberajski thinks otherwise.

This is not needed at this stage. Refugees do not yet know whether Poland will become a temporary stop or a final one. It should be observed how the attitudes of the Poles towards refugees from Ukraine will change. I am convinced that the neo-fascist parties and forces in power will use anti-Ukrainian sentiment for political gain,” says Dr. Soberaisky.