Poles maintain probably the most unfavorable views of Russia amongst all international locations included in a brand new world survey by the Pew Analysis Heart, which additionally exhibits that attitudes in the direction of the US, NATO and the European Union are probably the most constructive ever recorded in Poland.
Solely 2% of Poles maintain a beneficial view of Russia, whereas 97% have an unfavourable opinion. For the US, these figures are reversed, with 91% constructive and three% unfavorable. In the meantime, 94% now see Russia as a significant risk to Poland, up from 65% when the query was final requested in 2018.
Poles’ views of the US are probably the most beneficial they’ve ever been and their views of Russia the least beneficial.
In 2010, as many as 45% of Poles had a beneficial view of Russia, however that determine fell considerably in 2014 (to 12%) amid Russia’s earlier aggression towards Ukraine. It then recovered to 33% in 2019, however has now plummeted following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the meantime, Pew’s new knowledge present that Poles’ beneficial views of NATO (89%) and the European Union (89%) are the best they’ve ever been.
A big majority of Poles, 84%, consider that the EU “promotes democratic values” (up from 67% in 2018) whereas 44% say it’s “intrusive” (down from 68% in 2018). Attitudes in the direction of the bloc carefully correlate with age, being most constructive among the many younger and most unfavorable among the many aged.
Pew’s knowledge additionally present that views of the EU are a lot much less beneficial amongst supporters of the ruling national-conservative Legislation and Justice (PiS) occasion, which has often clashed with Brussels. Solely 38% of PiS supporters suppose the EU treats Poland pretty and 47% that it respects Poland’s values.
In the meantime, 82% of Poles say they’ve confidence in US President Joe Biden – additionally the best determine amongst any nation surveyed – and 11% don’t have any confidence in him.
That’s the highest determine ever recorded for a US president in Poland, beating the earlier report of 64% for Barack Obama in 2015. Donald Trump recorded a excessive of 51% in 2019 (when Poland was the one European nation the place a majority had confidence in Trump).
In Pew’s new survey, solely 42% of Poles stated they’ve confidence in French President Emmanuel Macron (the bottom of any nation other than Israel), 41% in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 11% in China’s Xi Jinping, and a couple of% in Vladimir Putin (the bottom wherever).
Pew’s findings – which have been primarily based on face-to-face interviews with 1,043 adults in Poland between 25 March and 5 Could this yr – mirror different latest polling.
This yr’s Democracy Notion Index carried out by Latana for the Alliance of Democracies also found that Poland has probably the most unfavorable views of Russia among the many 53 international locations surveyed, with 87% of Poles unfavorable and 5% constructive.
Polling printed this month by IBRiS discovered that NATO and the EU are Poles’ first and third most trusted establishments, with confidence in each rising considerably in recent times.
NATO, military & EU Poles’ most trusted establishments; authorities, state media & constitutional courtroom the least
Predominant picture credit score: Marcin Stepien / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a variety of publications, together with Overseas Coverage, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
