Attitudes towards Migrants on the Belarus Border Worsen
Polish media are again giving increased coverage to tensions on the Poland-Belarus border. In recent weeks attempts to cross this border illegally have become more violent, leading to the death of a young Polish soldier. While this crisis has certainly intensified recently, it has actually been ongoing since 2021, the time of the first CBOS survey into attitudes towards the people arriving at the Poland-Belarus border. Right from the start Poles tended to be averse to giving them the opportunity to apply for asylum in this country (in December 2021 58% of respondents were opposed to this, while 33% were in favour). Currently attitudes have hardened, with a clear majority saying there should be no chance for migrants on this border to apply for asylum in Poland (72%) with only one in five (20%) holding the opposite view.
