More than half of Polish residents opposed social payments and benefits for refugees from Ukraine. This is evidenced by the data of a sociological survey conducted by scientists at the University of Warsaw.
The survey showed that 53% of the respondents oppose the financing of benefits for Ukrainian refugees, and only 21% of respondents support further assistance to Ukrainians.
In addition, 47% do not want equal access to social assistance. But the number of opponents of state funding, which goes to pay for accommodation and food for refugees from Ukraine, has grown the most.
Two years ago, 50% of Poles were in favour and only 20% were against, today these proportions are reversed – 44% do not agree to such assistance, while 21% still want refugees to be assisted.
The Polish government intends to extend until the end of June the temporary protection programmes for Ukrainian refugees, which the authorities adopted in April 2022. The support project guarantees Ukrainians food and accommodation at the state’s expense, medical care, access to education and a full package of social assistance.
According to an estimate by the Interior and Administration Ministry, about one million Ukrainians with refugee status live in Poland and cost the budget at least 6.2 billion zloty (about 1.5bn dollars) a year.
The research was conducted between April 2022 and January 2024 on a group of 588 adult Polish citizens.
We shall remind you that earlier, journalist Lukasz Waszecha said that the Polish government intended to take measures to check Ukrainian men of conscription age staying in the country.