Poles’ dislike of Americans, Jews and Ukrainians on the rise, survey shows

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

The proportion of Poles who dislike Americans, Jews and Ukrainians has risen more over the last year than for any other ethnic and national group, according to the latest results of a long-running survey by state research agency CBOS.

However, Russians, Belarusians and Roma remain the most disliked national and ethnic groups in Poland, while Italians, Czechs and Slovaks are the most popular.

The poll, carried out annually since 1993, asks Poles if they like or dislike specific national and ethnic groups. This year, 21 such groups were included in the study.

CBOS found that the proportion of Poles saying they dislike Jews (40%) and Americans (18%) rose eight percentage points in both cases since last year, more than for any other group. The next biggest increase, of five percentage points, was for Ukrainians (43%).

Meanwhile, the proportion who like Americans has fallen from 68% in 2023, when they were the most-liked of any group, to 47% now, putting them in fifth place. Positive opinions of Jews have fallen to 22%, the lowest level since 2006.

Attitudes towards Jews are likely to have been influenced by Israel’s actions in Gaza, which last year saw growing public anger in Poland and criticism from the Polish government.

Meanwhile, a wide range of polls have shown that attitudes towards America have worsened since Donald Trump’s return to the White House a year ago.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sentiment towards Ukrainians – millions of whom fled to Poland – softened among Poles. In 2023, dislike of Ukrainians had fallen to its lowest recorded level of 17%, down from 40% in 2018 and a high of 66% in 1994.

However, anti-Ukrainian attitudes have recently been on the rise in Poland, amid tensions over the remaining almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees and clashes with Kyiv over economic issues and World War Two history.

Meanwhile, as was the case last year, the most liked group among Poles is Italians (58%), followed by Poland’s two southern neighbours, the Czechs (55%) and Slovaks (52%).

At the other end of the scale, Russians are once again the least liked (7%) and most disliked (74%) group. The proportion of Poles who dislike Russians has risen significantly since the invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, the figure had stood at just 35%.

According to a study published last week by the Levada Center, an independent Russian polling organisation, Russians also do not have much fondness for Poland, as they consider the country to be among its greatest enemies.

Last month, Moscow advised its citizens against travelling to Poland, citing “Russophobic sentiments” and “persecution of Russian citizens”. Poland, meanwhile, has accused Russia of carrying out a campaign of sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main Image credit: Paweł Kula Sejm RP/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY 2.0)

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She has written for Clean Energy Wire and The Times, and she hosts her own podcast, The Warsaw Wire, on Poland’s economy and energy sector. She previously worked for Reuters.