POLISH PUBLICOPINION Solid and Professional 3/2021 ISSN 2083-1714 CONTENTS Attitude to other nationalities The ranking of the most liked nationalities is opened by Czechs, followed by Attitude Italians, Slovaks, Americans and Hungarians. At least three-fifths of Poles declare to other nationalities a positive attitude towards them. More than half like Spaniards, Croats and Norwegians. At the same time, relatively few people express their dislike people of these nationalities. About half have a friendly attitude towards the English, Family 500 plus program French, Dutch, Lithuanians and Belarusians, and dislike is voiced much less often than sympathy. Sympathy is declared more often than dislike towards Estonians, after 5 years of operation at the same time a large group of respondents do not have a specific attitude towards them. The remaining nationalities included in the study evoke more ambivalent feelings. About two-fifths of respondents have a favourable opinion Party preferences about Germans, Ukrainians, Jews and Chinese. Although in the attitude to them in March sympathy outweighs rejection, the prevalence of positive attitudes is smaller than in the case of the nationalities mentioned earlier. About one-third of respondents like Russians and Romanians, and the aversion to them is expressed How to deal with smog as often as a positive attitude. Negative feelings prevail towards the other peoples included in the survey: Roma and Arabs. About a quarter of respondents express their sympathy, and more than two-fifths of them voice their dislike. Attitude to other nationalities. This year we have registered a very IN ADDITION Nationalities: % clear improvement in attitudes TO THE REPORTS REFERRED T O ABOVE, Czechs 63 23 8 6 towards almost all of the peoples THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED Italians 62 25 6 7 RECENTLY (IN POLISH): included in the survey. Attitude to Slovaks 61 25 6 8 many of them is the best in the · Political Views of Young People versus Americans 60 25 9 6 history of our research. There is a Their Sex and Place of Residence Hungarians 60 23 9 8 record level of sympathy and the Spanish 57 27 6 10 lowest level of aversion in relation · Motives to Vote for Political Parties Croats 55 27 7 11 to: Belarusians, Croats, Czechs, Norwegians 54 26 8 12 Estonians, Spaniards, Lithuanians, · Attitude to COVID-19 Vaccinations English 52 27 14 7 Norwegians, Roma, Romanians, · Social Moods in March French 50 28 14 8 S l o v a k s , U k r a i n i a n s a n d Dutch 49 27 13 11 Hungarians. One of the few · Fear of Coronavirus and Evaluation Lithuanians 49 29 13 9 nationalities towards whom we of Government Actions in March Belarusians 47 28 17 8 have not noticed a statistically Estonians 44 29 10 17 significant improvement in · Trust in Politicians in March Germans 43 26 27 4 attitudes are the Chinese. · Moods on the Job Market in the First Ukrainians 43 26 26 5 The marked improvement in Decade of March Jews 38 25 29 8 a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d s o t h e r Chinese 36 28 25 11 nationalities recorded this year · Opinions about Public Institutions Russians 35 25 35 5 should probably be associated Romanians 33 27 31 9 · Attitude to Government in March with the coronavirus pandemic, Roma 26 25 42 7 which reduced the importance of · Experiences of Unemployment Arabs 24 21 46 9 political and national divisions, Sympathy Indifference Antipathy Don't know a n d t h e s h a r e d d i f f i c u l t Average values on the scale from -3 (max. antipathy) to +3 (max. sympathy) experiences have strengthened the feeling of solidarity with others and have made us more respondents opposed it. After almost a year of the sympathetic towards them. program's operation, approval for it slightly decreased, but still remained very high (77% support, 20% More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in disapproval). Three-quarters (75%) of respondents Polish: "Attitudes towards Other Nations", March 2021. Fieldwork for responded positively to the announcement of the national sample: February 2021, N=1179. The random sample is introduction of the child benefit for the first child, made in representative for adult population of Poland. March 2019, while 19% were against it. Currently, support for the program in the formula introduced in July 2019 is Family 500 plus program expressed by a total of 73% of respondents. Nearly a after 5 years of operation quarter (24%) are against it. Do you support the Family 500 plus program, under which In April, 5 years have passed since the entry into force of families receive a child benefit of PLN 500 for each child? the Family 500 plus program, which became a showcase Moderately support policy of the Law and Justice (PiS) government and one of 34% the main sources of political credibility and election successes of this party. Initially, the child benefit from the Strongly support 39% 13% program was payable for the second and subsequent Moderately oppose children in the family or for each child in the case of low- 11% Strongly oppose income families; since July 1, 2019 it has been universal. Don't know 3% According to assumptions, the Family 500 plus program is Both before the introduction of the Family 500 plus the main instrument of family policy, the aim of which is to program and later, controversy was caused by the lack of improve the demographic situation, reduce poverty an income limit entitling to child benefit (initially for the among children and invest in the family. second and subsequent children, and from July 2019 the The introduction of the Family 500 plus program radically first child). The universal nature of the service causes changed the perception of the state policy towards the divergent opinions also today. Nearly two-fifths of all family. In the CBOS research carried out from 1996 to 2013, respondents (37%) believe that it should be paid to all the state actions towards the family were assessed as bringing up children, regardless of income. The others satisfactory or even unsatisfactory. Nearly a year after the most often believe that the childcare benefit should be introduction of the Family 500 plus program, the family available to poor and middle-income families (38%). In policy was assessed as good or very good by more than addition, over time, the percentage of people who believe half of respondents (52%). In March 2019, after the that it should be paid only to the poorest families is announcement of the extension of the program to each growing (10% in 2016, 16% in 2017, 20% now). child, the percentage of positive assessments of family Who should be entitled to the child benefit of PLN 500 policy was at record high, reaching 62%. Current opinions per child? are less enthusiastic, although still good. As in 2017–2018, % nearly half of adult Poles (49%) have a positive opinion of II 2016 10 45 43 2 the policy towards the family. On the other hand, there has III 2017 16 42 38 4 been an increase in the number of people assessing it as II 2021 20 38 37 5 unsatisfactory from 7% in March 2019 to 17% in February 2021. Only the poorest Poor and middle-income Everyone bringing up children, Don't families families regardless of income know Using the grade scale from "very good" After five years of program operation, respondents most to "unsatisfactory", how do you assess the current state policy towards the family? often notice its positive impact on the budgets of households with children: easier money management for 70% Good or very good families receiving the benefit (in total 36% of respondents 60% 50% declare that they know personally affected persons or that 40% they themselves are in such a situation) and a significant Satisfactory 30% improvement in the situation of children from poor 20% Unsatisfactory families (33% in total). Fewer people (18%) say that they 10% Don't know 0% know cases of improper spending of money under the IX 1996 II 2000 II 2006 IV 2012 VII 2013 III 2017 V 2018 III 2019 II 2021 Family 500 plus program. Even before the program came In February 2016, i.e. shortly before the entry into force of into force, concerns were expressed about its possible the Family 500 plus program, the introduction of the negative impact on the labour market through economic childcare benefit (in the form proposed at that time) was deactivation of women. According to their own supported by 80% of respondents, and 15% of declarations, a total of 16% of respondents have 2 encountered cases in which the mother or father resigned were held now, the representatives of the Confederation from work due to receiving the childcare benefit. (Konfederacja, 7%) and the Left (Lewica, 6%) would also Overall, slightly more than one-tenth (11%) notice the enter parliament. Almost one-fifth of the declared higher birth-rate as an effect of the program and say that participants of the elections (19%) refrain from expressing they know personally a case or cases in which the their support for any of the political parties. introduction of the childcare benefit influenced the Which party or coalition would you vote decision on the first or subsequent child. for in the parliamentary elections? Law and Justice (PiS) 33 One-fifth of respondents (20%) mention negative Poland 2050 (Szymon Hołownia) 17 reactions and unfavourable comments faced by the beneficiaries of the Family 500 plus program among the Civic Coalition (KO) 11 negative phenomena accompanying the program which Confederation Freedom and Independence 7 concern either the respondents personally or their The Left 6 acquaintances.