CBOS NOVEMBER 2005 ISSN 1233 - 7250 CHANGING THE OPINIONS IN THIS ISSUE: ABOUT EU INSTITUTIONS

R CHANGING THE OPINIONS ABOUT The membership of THE ATTITUDE OF THE POLES TO: EU INSTITUTIONS in the European Union (%) has had a positive effect on the the United IX 2005 53 21 10 7 9 Nations public trust in this organization. 63 14 7 3 13 R Organization III 2003 OPINIONS ABOUT The public opinion about the THE GOVERNMENT OF KAZIMIERZ European Union seems IX 2005 57 21 8 4 10 MARCINKIEWICZ particularly positive compared the NATO III 2003 62 14 9 2 13 with the deteriorating

evaluations of the UN and the IX 2005 59 18 11 2 10 R THE POLES ABOUT the European NATO. While in March 2003 Union THE SCOPE OF THE III 2003 56 15 15 1 13 PRESIDENT'S POWER more Poles trusted the UN and

the NATO than the European trust indifference distrust unfamiliarity Difficult to say Union, today the percentages of R ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS those who trust the NATO and the EU are similar and higher than the percentage of those AND LESBIANS IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN who express positive opinions about the UN. The increase of the respondents' trust in the EU COUNTRIES HAVE YOU HEARD OF: is probably due to the satisfaction with the results that IX 2005 25% 62% 13% the European the membership of Poland in this R Parliament SOCIAL TIES III 2003 23% 55% 22% organization has brought to date. AMONG THE POLES The level of familiarity the European IX 2005 21% 62% 17% Commission with the basic EU institutions, III 2003 23% 54% 23% such as the European Parliament PUBLIC OPINION Yes, I have and I know Yes, I have, but I don't No, I haven't and the European Commission, RESEARCH CENTER quite a lot about it know much about it has improved among the Poles. - CBOS - Increased familiarity IN GENERAL, HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE ACTIVITIES 4a Żurawia with the EU institutions has OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT? 00-503 Warszawa not improved the evaluations Positively POLAND of their activity. On the Negatively Negatively Positively 7% Ph: (48 22) 629 35 69 contrary, the number of those (48 22) 628 37 04 who criticize both the 57% 14% 57% III 2003 (48 22) 693 46 91 European Parliament and the IX 2005 European Commission has 36% Fax:(48 22) 629 40 89 increased. However, still more 29% Difficult Difficult than half of the Poles express to say E-mail: [email protected] to say http://www.cbos.pl positive opinions about the European Parliament (57%), Editors: IN GENERAL, HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE ACTIVITIES and speak well about the Krzysztof Zagórski OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION? and Beata Roguska activities of the European Commission (53%). Negatively Positively Positively Translated by Negatively The increase in the 6% Kinga Pawłowska 11% number of critical opinions 56% 53% III 2003 IX 2005 about the activities of the © COPYRIGHT BY CBOS 2005 European Parliament and the 38% ALL SOURCES MUST BE CREDITED 36% European Commission was WHEN ANY PART OF THIS accompanied by negative PUBLICATION IS REPRODUCED Difficult Difficult to say to say opinions about different aspects of the work of the 2 11/2005

European institutions. That could be due to the growing IN YOUR OPINION, WILL THE NEW GOVERNMENT BE BETTER expectations associated with the EU and its institutions OR WORSE THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE? after the accession. Better Worse IN YOUR OPINION, DO THE EU INSTITUTIONS

IX 2005 7% 83% 10% 47% 8% 29% 17% III 2003 4% 89% 7%

act primarily act primarily difficult to say in the interest in the interest The same, neither Difficult to say of ordinary citizens of the officials better nor worse IX 2005 8% 78% 14% III 2003 7% 80% 13% At the onset of the term of this cabinet, slightly more than two-fifths of the Poles declare their support for act efficiently do not act efficiently difficult to say it (41%). 15% of the respondents are in the opposition and more than a third (36%) are indifferent. The support for IX 2005 8% 78% 14% the cabinet of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz at the onset of its III 2003 8% 78% 15% term is somewhat lower than the support for the usually act fairly are rather corrupt difficult to say governments appointed after the elections of 1997 and 2001. IX 2005 17% 65% 18% III 2003 17% 65% 18% THE ATTITUDE TO THE GOVERNMENT:

usually deal with usually deal with difficult to say serious matters matters of little significance 41% More information about this subject can be found in the CBOS report 36% (in Polish): Deterioration of the opinions about the functioning of the EU institutions, November 2005. Survey executed in September 2005.Arepresentative random sample of adult Poles. N = 1028. 15% 9%

OPINIONS ABOUT Supporters Opponents Indifferent Difficult to say THE GOVERNMENT OF KAZIMIERZ MARCINKIEWICZ More information about this subject can be found in the CBOS report (in Polish) Opinions about the government of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, November 2005. Survey executed in November 2005. The (PiS) government Arepresentative random sample of adult Poles. N = 1026. appointed in November, with the Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, has received quite a warm, although by no mean enthusiastic, welcome. The THE POLES reactions to its appointment are quite similar to the ABOUT THE SCOPE reactions to the cabinets formed after the 1997 and 2001 parliamentary elections. More than two-fifths of the OF THE PRESIDENT'S POWER respondents (44%) believe that the new government will contribute to an improvement of the situation in Poland. The discussions conducted before the Nearly half of the respondents (47%) expect the parliamentary and presidential elections touched the government of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz to be better concept of the reconstruction of the Polish political than the previous one. system and changing the division of powers between the major institutions. The Law and Justice (PiS), the current WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ASSOCIATED ruling party, opted for the extension of the Presidential WITH THE CABINET OF THE PRIME MINISTER KAZIMIERZ MARCINKIEWICZ: power by adding, among others, the right to veto the anxiety, fear that candidates for the Prime Minister and the ministers and hope, faith that the situation the situation will difficult will improve change for worse to say the right to issue decrees with the effect of a law (on the request of the government). The president-elect, who was a candidate of the PiS, declared that for the time being he 44% 19% 9% would make more use of the existing powers of the head 12% 16% of the state than the outgoing President. The public opinions on the existing scope of the disappointment, indifference, because nothing a lack of interest President's power are very varied. A majority of the Poles will change see them as quite limited.

PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH CENTER - CBOS - 11/2005 3

IN YOUR OPINION, DOES THE HAVE DO YOU KNOW A GAY OR A LESBIAN PERSONALLY? CONSIDERABLE POWERS TO INFLUENCE THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY, OR ARE HIS POWERS AND HIS INFLUENCE 8% Yes ON THE SITUATION IN POLAND VERY LIMITED? 14% 30% 43% The President has a very big influence The President's powers on the situation to influence the situation in the country in the country are very 87% limited Neither big Quite big 83% Quite limited No powers nor small powers 64% 50%

13%1331% 3121% 2117% 1710% 108% 8 7% 6% I am not sure, 3% 5% difficult to say Czechs Slovaks Poles Hungarians Difficult to say Before the final result of the presidential election In each of these four countries, the acceptance of was known, most Poles had opted for increasing the a formal union between partners of the same sex having powers of the President. Only just over a quarter of the the same property rights as in a marriage is significantly respondents opted for maintaining the current status in more common than the acceptance of same-sex marriage. this respect. However, the supporters of the legalization of homosexual relationships outnumber the opponents only IN YOUR OPINION: in the Czech Republic. The scope of powers of the President of Poland The idea of granting gays and lesbians the right to should remain unchanged 26% adopt children meets the strongest opposition. It is The President's powers rejected by a defininite majority of the respondents in should be increased 59% 14% each of the four countries. 1% Difficult to say IN YOUR OPINION, SHOULD GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES BE ALLOWED TO: The President's powers marry? should be reduced Czechs 37% 52% 11%

More information about this subject can be found in the CBOS report Hungarians 25% 70% 5% (in Polish):The Poles about the scope of powers of the President , November 2005. Survey executed in October 2005. A representative Slovaks 24% 69% 8% random sample of adult Poles. N = 1003. Poles 21% 70% 9%

enter into unions other than marriage with partners ACCEPTANCE having the same property rights as in marriage, e.g. the right OF GAYS AND LESBIANS to joint taxation or inheritance after the partner's death? IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN Czechs 62% 30% 9% Poles 42% 47% 11%

COUNTRIES Slovaks 39% 53% 8% Central European nations differ significantly Hungarians 36% 58% 5%

from one another with regard to the frequency of declared adopt children? personal contact with gays and lesbians. Such contact is Hungarians 25% 71% 4% declared the least frequently by the Hungarians, and the Czechs 18% 71% 10% most frequently by the Czechs. The proportion of persons who say they know some gays or lesbians can be a Slovaks 14% 77% 9% measure of the level of tolerance a different sexual Poles 9% 84% 8% orientation in a given society, because if a big proportion Yes No Difficult to say of the respondents admit having such acquaintances, it means that they are not afraid to stain their own image. More information about this subject can be found in the CBOS report A definite majority of the Poles, Hungarians and (in Polish): Personal contact with and acceptance of gays and lesbians Slovaks are of the opinion that gays and lesbians should in the Central European counties, November 2005. Survey executed in October 2005. A representative random sample of adult Poles. N not be allowed to marry the partners of the same sex. The =1003. In the Czech Republic, the survey was conducted by CVVM on opponents of same-sex marriage also prevail in the Czech a sample N=988; in Hungary (TARKI) on a sample N=1035; in Republic, but their proportion is much lower. Slovakia (FOCUS) on a sample N=1060.

PUBLIC OPINION RE SEARCH CENTER - CBOS - 4 11/2005

SOCIAL TIES WHO IS IT? PLEASE NAME UP TO THREE MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS. AMONG THE POLES 53% Spouse 59% 29% A definite majority of the Poles do not complain Friend about having nobody to confide in or ask for advice. 20% 28% Father/mother However, one in eight have nobody who could listen to 35% 25% them or offer their support. On average, a grown-up Pole Sister/brother has two persons with whom he/she can talk about all 30% 25% Children his/her personal problems. 28% 11% Colleague/schoolmate EVERYONE SOMETIMES HAS PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND 13% EVERYONE SOMETIMES NEEDS TO CONFIDE IN ANOTHER My partner 10% PERSON OR ASK FOR ADVICE. HOW MANY PERSONS DO YOU - girlfriend/boyfriend 8% KNOW, WITH WHOM YOU COULD TALK ABOUT ALL YOUR 6% PROBLEMS? Neighbour 7% Mean: 2 persons 5% Another relative 29% 8% 23% 23% My husband's/ wife's 3% sister/brother 5% 3% 12% 10% My mother/father-in-law 1% 2% 4% 1% Two persons A priest X 2005 Nobody One person Three or four Five to ten More than Difficult 3% persons persons ten persons to say VIII 1999 1% A doctor Those who declare that they know some people 2% 2% on whose support they can always count usually mention Someone else 3% the members of the closest family, i.e. the spouse, parents, brothers or sisters and children. Compared with the year 1999, the importance of friends as confidants has DO YOU EVER FEEL LONELY EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE grown, and the role of family members has decreased. PEOPLE AROUND? Although most Poles can count on the support of Yes, always 2% other people, almost two-thirds of declare that there are Yes, very often 7% situations when they feel lonely, though the majority of Yes, sometimes 29% them have such feelings not very often. Yes, but very rarely, 27% The feeling of loneliness is mainly associated hardly ever with the respondents' marital status. It is the most No, never 34% common among widows and widowers, a quarter (25%) Difficult to say 1% of whom feel lonely very often or even always. Divorced or separated persons come next. In this group, one in five respondents (19%) feel lonely very often. According to More information about this subject can be found in the CBOS report (in Polish):The social ties among the Poles , November 2005. Survey the respondents' declarations, married persons feel lonely executed in October 2005. A representative random sample of adult the least frequently (5% of them feel lonely very often). Poles. N = 1003.

In addition to the reports referred to above, the following have been published recently (in Polish): For more information on CBOS services and publications please contact:

u A summary of the work of the Prime Minister and his cabinet CBOS POLAND u Culinary likes and dislikes, nutritional habits and consumer behaviour of the Poles 4a, Żurawia, 00-503 Phones: (48 22) 629 35 69, 628 37 04 u Social ties among the Poles Fax: (48 22) 629 40 89 u The hopes and fears associated with the new e-mail: [email protected] u Political party preferences in November u Opinions about compliance with the law and the law enforcement system http://www.cbos.pl u Social moods in November Yearly subscription rate for “Polish u Bird flu Public Opinion” is 80 USD u Trust in politicians in November Circulation: 210 copies

CBOS expertise in providing professional, accurate and timely research has made us the leading authority in political, social and consumer research in Poland.

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