Polish Public Opinion on Belarus and Belarusians

In May 2026, the Institute for Political Studies “Political Sphere”, in partnership with SW Research (Poland), conducted a sociological survey titled “Polish Public Opinion on Belarus and Belarusians”. The survey included 1,006 respondents.

The aim of the survey was to understand how Belarus, Belarusians, and key issues related to Belarusian-Polish relations are perceived in Polish society. The survey focused on political assessments, security, migration, the economy, cultural memory, and historical heritage.

First, respondents were asked about their political choice in the most recent parliamentary elections, as well as their views on the legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This same section also addressed attitudes towards a possible change of Belarus’s state emblem and the recognisability of Belarusian cultural and historical figures.

The following questions dealt with how Poles perceive Belarusians as a people and the Belarusian cultural tradition. Participants were asked whether they consider Belarusians to be a distinct people, as well as how they view the fact that Adam Mickiewicz and Tadeusz Kościuszko are sometimes presented in contemporary Belarusian culture and historiography also as Belarusian political and cultural figures.

The survey then moved on to direct attitudes towards Belarusians. Respondents evaluated Belarusians living in Belarus and Belarusian citizens living in Poland. They were also asked about personal contacts with people from Belarus over the past year.

The next thematic section addressed migration and security. Participants assessed the Polish government’s decision to receive people forced to leave Belarus after the events of 2020 and answered whether they see Belarusian citizens living in Poland as a threat to national security. Those who perceived such a threat were additionally asked what it consisted of.

Respondents were then asked to assess the economic contribution of Belarusians living in Poland, as well as the threat posed by the contemporary Belarusian state. This section of the survey also covered assessments of the political regime in Belarus and the degree of Belarus’s independence in foreign policy.

A separate set of questions focused on the Belarusian authorities and the democratic opposition. Respondents answered whether they consider Aliaksandr Lukashenka to be the legitimate leader of Belarus, whether they had heard of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, what policy Poland should pursue towards Belarus, and how it should build relations with the Belarusian democratic opposition.

The final part of the survey addressed practical aspects of relations with Belarus and Belarusians. These included reasons for reluctance to develop contacts with the Belarusian democratic opposition and possible approaches Poland could take towards labour migration from Belarus.

The presentation of the study will take place on 18 June as part of the 4th Belarusian-Polish Expert Forum named after Raman Skirmunt.