Results of our studies

IN BRIEF

The Polish people believe that Russia is rather unfriendly state toward Poland; however they recognize that Russians themselves have warmer attitudes toward their country. The same thing can be said about Poland and Poles.

MOSCOW, March 4, 2013. Russian Public Opinion Research Center, Polish Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) and Grupa IQS would like to present the following information based on the results of the Russia-Poland study conducted in November and December 2012. The study encompasses the public assessment and capacities of Russian-Polish cooperation. The survey concerns the attitudes and perceptions of Poland and Russia by other countries and was made using quantitative polling and focus groups carried out in both countries. The results of the survey were presented at the III International Sociological Conference “Continuing Grushin”. 

Among countries mentioned most of Russians regard Belarus (70%), Germany (70%), and China   (66%) as the friendliest ones.   The countries that are perceived as least friendly by Russians are the U.S. (63%) and Lithuania (59%).

At the same time, Poles recognize the U.S. as being one of the friendliest states towards Poland (68%) after Slovakia (80%), the Czech Republic (79%), France (75%), Great Britain (73%), and Germany (70%). Polish assessments of Belarus are substantially different from the Russian ones: 60% of respondents recognize Belarus as country with the most negative attitudes towards Poland.   

As to mutual perceptions, Russians view Polish attitudes towards Poland more positively than the Polish people view Russian attitudes toward Poland. Thus, the opinions of Russian respondents are ambiguous: 39% think the Polish position is friendly, 47% - not.  The Polish respondents cite more clear opinion that implies that Russia treats Poland more negatively (70%).

Results of the focus groups conducted in Russia revealed that warm or cool relationships at the state level do not suggest the same at the level of common people:  “Basically, attitudes towards a certain state do not refer to any attitudes toward a nation. One of the most important things is whether a person went abroad or not. If the person did not, he/she judges according to what is promoted by the television and mass media”. In the focus group discussions a similar trend is observed: what is emphasized is good and warm attitudes of Russians towards Poles, and that negative perception of Russians can  be resulted from wrong interstate relations: “Talking about Russia, everything that we know about Russia is what mass media tells us. This is wrong to think that we and Russians do not like each other; we do love”.

Opinions of the participants of discussions are proved by the quantitative polls showing that ordinary people treat Russia and Poland much warmer than the states they live in. Thus, 65% of Russians believe that Poles are one of the friendless nations towards Russians; only 50% of respondents say the same about Ukrainian attitudes toward Russia. Polish respondents perceive Belarus as a nation that has negative attitudes toward Poland; at the same time, the Belarusians recognize that they are friendly toward Poland (56%).  Participants of the survey, both Russians and Poles, cite that the attitudes of common Poles toward Russia and common Russians toward Poland are much more positive than the positions of their states. Forty-nine percent of Russians believe that the Polish residents perceive Poland positively, and 53% of Poles say that Russians are friendly toward their country.  

The quantitative survey was conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center and Polish Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) in November and December 2012 in Poland. The total of 1600 Russians and 1036 Poles were polled using the formalized home-based interview.

The qualitative study (focus groups) were conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center, Polish Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) and Grupa IQS in November and December 2012 in Poland. Twelve focus groups (six per each country) were organized. A number of discussions were made with young respondents aged 20-35 and respondents aged 36-55 living in the capitals (Warsaw and Moscow), big cities (Torun and Ekaterinburg), small cities and rural area (Pulawy and Vsevolozhsk).

Could you please assess the attitudes of the leaders of the countries mentioned below towards Russia (friendly or unfriendly)?

 (close-ended question, one answer per each nation)

Russian poll

Could you please assess the attitudes of the leaders of the countries mentioned below towards Poland (friendly or unfriendly)?

 (close-ended question, one answer per each nation)

Polish poll

Poland

 

Poland

 

Very friendly

3

Very friendly

1

Rather friendly 

36

Rather friendly 

16

Rather unfriendly

39

Rather unfriendly

48

Absolutely unfriendly

8

Absolutely unfriendly

22

Hard to tell

13

Hard to tell

12

U.S.A.

 

U.S.A.

 

Very friendly

3

Very friendly

8

Rather friendly 

27

Rather friendly 

60

Rather unfriendly

47

Rather unfriendly

14

Absolutely unfriendly

16

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Hard to tell

8

Hard to tell

14

France

 

France

 

Very friendly

5

Very friendly

7

Rather friendly 

57

Rather friendly 

68

Rather unfriendly

22

Rather unfriendly

8

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

12

Hard to tell

16

Great Britain

 

Great Britain

 

Very friendly

3

Very friendly

8

Rather friendly 

44

Rather friendly 

65

Rather unfriendly

30

Rather unfriendly

11

Absolutely unfriendly

9

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

14

Hard to tell

15

China

 

China

 

Very friendly

9

Very friendly

7

Rather friendly 

58

Rather friendly 

45

Rather unfriendly

19

Rather unfriendly

11

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Hard to tell

11

Hard to tell

36

Germany

 

Germany

 

Very friendly

8

Very friendly

8

Rather friendly 

62

Rather friendly 

62

Rather unfriendly

19

Rather unfriendly

15

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Hard to tell

9

Hard to tell

12

Czeck Republic

 

Czeck Republic

 

Very friendly

5

Very friendly

13

Rather friendly 

56

Rather friendly 

67

Rather unfriendly

22

Rather unfriendly

7

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

15

Hard to tell

12

Slovak Republic

 

Slovak Republic

 

Very friendly

6

Very friendly

11

Rather friendly 

57

Rather friendly 

69

Rather unfriendly

20

Rather unfriendly

4

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

15

Hard to tell

15

Ukraine

 

Ukraine

 

Very friendly

6

Very friendly

4

Rather friendly 

44

Rather friendly 

46

Rather unfriendly

38

Rather unfriendly

27

Absolutely unfriendly

5

Absolutely unfriendly

5

Hard to tell

7

Hard to tell

17

Belarus

 

Belarus

 

Very friendly

13

Very friendly

1

Rather friendly 

57

Rather friendly 

22

Rather unfriendly

20

Rather unfriendly

35

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Absolutely unfriendly

25

Hard to tell

7

Hard to tell

17

Lithuania

 

Lithuania

 

Very friendly

2

Very friendly

4

Rather friendly 

29

Rather friendly 

42

Rather unfriendly

43

Rather unfriendly

29

Absolutely unfriendly

16

Absolutely unfriendly

7

Hard to tell

10

Hard to tell

18

Could you please assess the attitudes of ordinary people living in the countries mentioned below toward Russia (friendly or unfriendly)?

 (close-ended question, one answer per each nation)

Could you please assess the attitudes of ordinary people living in the countries mentioned below toward Poland (friendly or unfriendly)?

(close-ended question, one answer per each nation)

 

 

Poles

 Russian poll

Russians

Polish poll

Very friendly

5

Very friendly

5

Rather friendly 

44

Rather friendly 

48

Rather unfriendly

34

Rather unfriendly

28

Absolutely unfriendly

7

Absolutely unfriendly

6

Hard to tell

11

Hard to tell

13

Americans

 

Americans

 

Very friendly

3

Very friendly

10

Rather friendly 

39

Rather friendly 

64

Rather unfriendly

37

Rather unfriendly

8

Absolutely unfriendly

10

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

10

Hard to tell

16

Frenchmen

 

Frenchmen

 

Very friendly

5

Very friendly

10

Rather friendly 

61

Rather friendly 

66

Rather unfriendly

19

Rather unfriendly

8

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

11

Hard to tell

15

Englishmen

 

Englishmen

 

Very friendly

4

Very friendly

8

Rather friendly 

50

Rather friendly 

61

Rather unfriendly

26

Rather unfriendly

13

Absolutely unfriendly

7

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

13

Hard to tell

16

Chinese

 

Chinese

 

Very friendly

9

Very friendly

6

Rather friendly 

58

Rather friendly 

52

Rather unfriendly

19

Rather unfriendly

8

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

12

Hard to tell

33

Germans

 

Germans

 

Very friendly

7

Very friendly

6

Rather friendly 

61

Rather friendly 

56

Rather unfriendly

21

Rather unfriendly

21

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Hard to tell

9

Hard to tell

14

Czechs

 

Czechs

 

Very friendly

6

Very friendly

15

Rather friendly 

61

Rather friendly 

66

Rather unfriendly

20

Rather unfriendly

9

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

11

Hard to tell

10

Slovaks

 

Slovaks

 

Very friendly

7

Very friendly

14

Rather friendly 

63

Rather friendly 

69

Rather unfriendly

17

Rather unfriendly

3

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Hard to tell

12

Hard to tell

12

Ukrainians

 

Ukrainians

 

Very friendly

10

Very friendly

8

Rather friendly 

55

Rather friendly 

52

Rather unfriendly

25

Rather unfriendly

22

Absolutely unfriendly

2

Absolutely unfriendly

3

Hard to tell

7

Hard to tell

15

Belarusians

 

Belarusians

 

Very friendly

15

Very friendly

5

Rather friendly 

64

Rather friendly 

51

Rather unfriendly

13

Rather unfriendly

21

Absolutely unfriendly

1

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Hard to tell

7

Hard to tell

20

Lithuanians

 

Lithuanians

 

Very friendly

4

Very friendly

7

Rather friendly 

35

Rather friendly 

49

Rather unfriendly

39

Rather unfriendly

21

Absolutely unfriendly

14

Absolutely unfriendly

4

Hard to tell

9

Hard to tell

19

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