Over one-third of Poles say their attitude towards Ukrainians has worsened – poll

According to a poll, 33.6% of Poles say their attitude towards Ukrainians has worsened following the recent crisis in Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Source: IBRiS poll for Polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Respondents were asked whether their attitude towards Ukrainians has changed in light of the dispute over the historical role of the UPA and the revocation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle.

Just over one-third of respondents (33.6%) said their attitude has worsened, while 1.8% said it has improved. A majority of Poles (60.7%) said the recent developments have not affected their views, and 3.9% had no opinion.

According to the same survey, those most likely to report a worsening attitude towards Ukrainians are supporters of opposition parties (45%) and people who say they do not participate in elections (36%). These respondents most often identify as right-wing (47%), voted for the Law and Justice party in the last parliamentary election (56%), and supported Szymon Hołownia in the presidential election (74%).

Among those who said the recent developments have not affected their attitude towards Ukrainians, the largest groups were voters of parties in the governing coalition (80%), respondents identifying as left-wing (80%), those who voted for the New Left in the 2023 parliamentary election (87%), and those who supported Adrian Zandberg (100%) or Rafał Trzaskowski (84%) in the presidential election.

The computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) survey was conducted on 25-26 June 2026 among 1,071 respondents.

For reference: The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, was a nationalist paramilitary organisation that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, primarily against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Poland believes that the UPA was responsible for what it considers the genocide of Poles during the Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy, a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943. The tragedy was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west.

Background:

• Earlier, 59.7% of Poles said they oppose Ukraine's accession to the European Union, with opposition party supporters being the most opposed.
• Another poll found that over one-third of respondents believe revoking Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle will strengthen Poland's position on the international stage.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.