More than half of Poles oppose their country supporting Ukraine's NATO accession

The share of Poles opposing their country’s support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration has risen to nearly 53%.

According to an IBRiS poll commissioned by Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita in late August, a total of 1,069 respondents were surveyed.

When asked whether Poland should support Ukraine's accession to NATO, 33.5% of respondents answered "yes", 52.7% were opposed and 13.8% were undecided.

The newspaper notes that the respondents’ opinions largely depended on their political sympathies. 

Among supporters of the ruling party, 59% said yes, while those who said no were mainly voters who support the Law and Justice party, the far-right Confederation party and the leftist Razem party (74% of this group were against the idea).

Opposition to supporting Ukraine’s NATO accession was also significantly higher among people over 50, residents of rural areas (62%), those without higher education (71%), and especially among respondents who described their material situation as unsatisfactory (91%).

By comparison, an IBRiS poll conducted in August 2023 for Rzeczpospolita found that 47.7% opposed Ukraine’s immediate admission to NATO, while 40% supported it.

Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, pledged during his election campaign to block Ukraine’s path to NATO.