A survey conducted by IBRiS for the daily Rzeczpospolita found that 48.9% of respondents favor recognizing same-sex marriages concluded in other EU member states. Opposition stood at 44.1%, while 7% said they had no opinion.
The newspaper noted that the issue of formalizing same-sex relationships has long stirred strong emotions in Poland, reflected in the poll’s results. The most common responses were “definitely yes,” chosen by 25.3% of respondents, and “definitely no,” selected by 32.4%.
Support was highest among voters of left-wing parties, at 99%, followed by supporters of the liberal Civic Coalition at 84% and the centrist Third Way alliance at 80%, according to the survey. The lowest level of support was recorded among voters of the conservative Law and Justice party, at just 1%.
Among voters backing the far-right Confederation party, led by Sławomir Mentzen and Krzysztof Bosak, 38% said they “rather” support recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other EU countries.
“It is not the case that conservatives dominate in Poland, although their voice is the most audible in public debate,” said sociologist Jacek Kucharczyk, director of the Institute of Public Affairs, as quoted by Rzeczpospolita.
The poll comes after a late November ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which said EU member states are obliged to recognize same-sex marriages legally concluded in another EU country, even if domestic law does not allow such unions.
The ruling stemmed from a case involving two Polish men who married in Berlin in 2018 and later sought to register their marriage in Poland. Their application was rejected, prompting Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court to ask the EU court whether such refusals were compatible with EU law.
(jh)
Source: PAP