The poll by researcher CBOS found that 50 percent of respondents said Poland’s assistance to Ukrainian refugees was excessive, while 46 percent viewed it as appropriate.
The findings show a continued decline in public support for accepting refugees, a trend observed, with brief interruptions, since mid-2023, the pollster said.
Support for hosting Ukrainian refugees has now dropped to 48 percent, the lowest level since CBOS began tracking the issue after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Meanwhile, opposition has reached a record high of 45 percent, it said.
The survey also found that 58 percent of Poles believe Ukrainian refugees should only have access to social benefits and public healthcare—such as the Family 800+ child benefit programme— if they work and pay taxes in Poland.
Twenty-five percent said beneficiaries should also be required to hold official refugee status, while 8 percent said Ukrainians should not have access to such benefits at all.
On the war itself, 54 percent of respondents said Ukraine should prioritise peace talks with Russia, even if that meant ceding some territory—down slightly from 58 percent in March.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those supporting continued military resistance without compromise rose from 25 to 28 percent.
CBOS said it conducted the survey between September 11 and 22 on a nationwide sample of 969 adults.
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Source: IAR, PAP