Net approval of the Polish government’s actions to fight the coronavirus pandemic has reached its highest level in a year. Meanwhile, the largest ever proportion of Poles say that current Covid restrictions are appropriate.
Regular polling by CBOS, a research agency, found that in June 12% saw the government’s Covid policies as “very good” and 45% as “good”. That total of 57% was up four percentage points month-on-month and the highest since August last year, after which Poland was hit by two major waves of the virus.
In June, 23% regarded the government’s approach as “bad” and 12% as “very bad”. That total of 35% was also four percentage points down month-on-month and the lowest since July 2020.
62% ankietowanych uważa,
że obowiązujące ograniczenia i restrykcje są odpowiednie do obecnej sytuacji. Znacznie mniej osób
niż w maju określa je jako zbyt duże (spadek o 9 punktów procentowych, 23%), a tyle samo co przed
miesiącem odczuwa, że są niewystarczające (8%). pic.twitter.com/s5ZPiBPXSU— Norbert Maliszewski (CAS/KPRM) (@nmaliszewski) July 5, 2021
The figures mean that net approval for the government’s actions, at +22, is the highest since July last year. During the worst of the pandemic, from October 2020 to April 2021, net approval was negative in every month bar one, falling as low as -17. In May 2020, when polling began, it was +45.
CBOS notes that disapproval of the government’s actions is highest among the youngest Poles (aged 18-24) as well as those with higher education. Approval is strongest among older, less educated and more religious Poles (groups that are also more likely to vote for the conservative ruling party).
Meanwhile, for the first time ever CBOS found in June that the percentage of people who say they do not fear of becoming infected (51%) was higher than those who say they do (48%). In May, the figures were 44% and 55% respectively, reports Do Rzeczy.
Poland today reported no Covid-related deaths for the first time since March last year.
It also recorded its lowest daily number of new Covid cases, 52, since March 2020 https://t.co/muJugxLAbc
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 28, 2021
The same pollster found that last month 62% of respondents agreed that the current level of restrictions is “appropriate”. That figure has never been higher since CBOS began asking the question last August.
The proportion saying there are “too few” restrictions, at 8%, was the lowest ever. Almost a quarter (23%) said there are “too many” restrictions.
With infections dropping rapidly from their peak in early April, the government has since May loosened most of Poland’s coronavirus restrictions, with schools reopening and indoor dining again allowed.
Previously, Poland had suffered some of the worst infection rates in Europe. Last year, the country recorded the highest proportion of excess deaths in the European Union.
In March this year, Poland fell to fourth from last among all countries in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, which assesses how the world’s 53 largest economies have handled the pandemic. In the latest version, published last week, it had risen to 35th place.
Poland has administered over 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. That vaccination rate, of around 80 doses per 100 people, is slightly below the EU average of 86. The government has also warned that registrations for vaccines are slowing down, and has made efforts to encourage uptake.
Poland's government has warned the public not to become complacent about the pandemic amid current low infection rates.
A fourth wave is likely in the autumn, and it is vital that as many people as possible get vaccinated, says the health minister https://t.co/5FWBb8DuDf
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 6, 2021
Main image credit: Krystian Maj/KPRM (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
