Over the last thirty years, the family as a social unit has undergone some major changes: people are getting married later, the number of divorces and separations is rising, and more people are deciding to remain single. Alternatives to marriage are becoming increasingly common, most often where two partners live together. Opinions are divided about whether it would be better if such relationships were formalised: respondents divided almost equally into those for whom it does not matter if people are married or not, so long as they love and trust each other (42%), and those who think that people living together ought to get married, though marriage should not be compulsory (38%). Every seventh respondent (14%) categorically believes that people living together ought to get married. Only a few (3%) voiced the opposite opinion, that even if people loved and trusted each other it was better not to get married, since there was no knowing what might happen in the future. Looking back, it can be seen that there is a continuing rise in the number of people who accept living together and marriage as equally valid options for a relationship.

Over two fifths of people (44%) think that smog is a serious problem in the place where they live. This is the same as last year. One in three (34%) say it is not a great problem, whereas one in five (19%) do not see it as a problem at all. While fewer people than last year maintain that smog is not an issue in their area, there has been an increase in the number saying it exists but is not much of a problem.

After twenty years of Poland’s membership of NATO, 80% of adult Poles are in favour of the country belonging to this organisation, with only 2% against. Over these last two decades Poland’s membership has always had the support of a decided majority of those surveyed, irrespective of when the surveys were carried out. However, pro-NATO attitudes have been at an unprecedented level since April 2014, which undoubtedly is connected with what has happened to Ukraine.

Every so often, public discourse returns to the subject of a salary for the first lady, the wife of the president of Poland. Those in favour of paying her maintain that, in practice, she is forced to give up her career, and by fulfilling a representative function at official events she is, in effect, working for the Polish state. Opponents of the idea counter this by arguing that the position of first lady is strictly honorary without any formally defined duties assigned to the role, and that giving up her career is dictated by nothing more than custom.

In 2018, 60% of adults went away for at least a two-day holiday, so considerably more than in 2017 (a rise of 6 percentage points). This is also the greatest percentage since 2012, when research began into leisure trips with at least one overnight stay. At the start of 2018 only 58% of the people surveyed had planned their trips.

For the past thirty years, people have regularly been asked about what happened in their lives the previous year. This way information is available about how participation in cultural events, social engagement, types of leisure activities and behaviour connected with attitude to money are all changing.

On 6 Feb it will be thirty years since the start of the Round Table Talks, proceedings that became an essential element of the foundation myth of the democratic Polish state. To mark the occasion, CBOS carried out a survey to see how Polish people remember those times and what, in retrospect, is their assessment of the negotiations between the communist government and the democratic opposition, that took place in early 1989.

In the period 2005–2018, an average of 65,000 divorces were granted in Poland annually; in recent years approximately one in every three marriages has ended in divorce. This means that divorcees are an ever-growing social group, something that is confirmed by empirical research. Two thirds of adult Poles (67%) are in contact with at least one person who is divorced.

The issue of whether public sector workers’ earnings should be disclosed has been in the news lately. People’s opinions on the general subject of pay disclosure were surveyed last April. One area of interest then was the attitude to who exactly should be under an obligation to make such a disclosure.

The overwhelming majority of Polish people are happy with their lives, getting the most satisfaction from their relationships with friends and family, and from where they live. Any dissatisfaction most often concerns people’s financial situation and, to a lesser degree, the state of their health.

The most common feeling among Poles in 2018 has been pleasure that something specific has worked out, or life in general is being successful (61% felt this way often or very often in 2018). A group of virtually the same size (60%) were sure that everything was going well. Just over a half (52%) were frequently proud of their achievements, while one in two (50%) was often interested or excited by something. These positive feelings were more common in 2018 than negative ones.

The overwhelming majority of people in Poland (84%) have bank accounts and over two thirds think that money deposited there is safe.

Judging from the responses received, it appears that of most significance in people’s daily lives is their family (72%). Work comes second, but with a much lower percentage of answers (53%). Over a quarter of those surveyed (28%) put their health as something on which they need to expend the most time and energy. Making money was indicated less frequently (15%), as were exercise and sport (14%), entertainment and other pleasures (11%), redecorating and furnishing one’s home (11%) and religious practice (10%). In comparison, people devote the least time to house hunting or building (3%), politicking (3%), climbing the career ladder (2%), idleness (2%) and looking for work abroad (1%).

A survey after the local elections looked at how many people had been politically active online in the month running up to them. Activity was divided into three kinds: 1) informational, accessing political content online; 2) deliberative, encompassing political discussions; and 3) participatory, engaging in actual political activity. Over this period almost six out of ten internet users (58%) accessed political content online, while 8% each declared they had taken part in deliberative or participatory activities. Compared to previous local elections, there has been a considerable rise in accessing political content, in the form of both text and video, while written input on political subjects has doubled.

In the first half of December the annual conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Katowice. The CBOS November survey checked whether people in Poland were aware of the dangers connected with climate change.

More and more people in Poland have access to smartphones and they are an increasing presence in both public places and people’s private lives. Even so, a decided majority of those polled were against people looking at phone screens during conversations, meals and family events. Just about everyone would be put out if during Christmas Eve dinner, a participant used their phone to browse the internet, go on social media or use their apps.

A decided majority of those polled (72%) think it is completely improbable that Poland could leave the EU at this time, while 15% believe a Polexit is within the bounds of possibility.

A decided majority of people in Poland (84%) have no doubts as to the credibility of the results of the recent local elections to the Sejmiki Wojewódzkie and only a very few are of the opinion that the results given by the National Electoral Commission are unreliable. By comparison, the results of the previous elections to the Sejmiki Wojewódzkie were questioned by about a quarter of those surveyed.

What emerges from the declarations of people in this survey is not a clear-cut picture of depression. While an overwhelming majority (91%) think this is an illness like any other, and can be treated, still almost three quarters (72%) see depression as something shameful, to be concealed from other people.

Compared to 2008, the percentage of Polish people surveyed who celebrate Nov 11 has risen significantly. Ten years ago Independence Day was marked by about every other respondent (49%), while now almost three out of four (72%) say that they celebrate in some way on the date that Poland regained independence.

On October 16 it will be forty years since Karol Wojtyła was elected pope. Although thirteen years have passed since the death of Pope John Paul II, he is still remembered by the people of Poland (89% of those surveyed said they had thought of him at least once in the last year) and continues to be seen as a moral authority (as stated by 92% of respondents, a drop of 3 percentage points since 2015).

An overwhelming majority of internet users (80%) have made some personal data available online, with 44% restricting access to selected people, businesses or institutions, and 36% making their data available to all. The information shared most frequently includes email addresses, which over a half of internet users have made available online (56%, including 9% who made their addresses available to all), photographs showing the user’s face (55%, including 26% to all) and date of birth (51%, including 14% to all). Compared to 2015, fewer users now make available their home address, email, date of birth, location or marital (relationship) status, and fewer people are making the last two types of information freely available. Users are posting slightly more videos in which their faces are visible.

Six out of ten of the people surveyed (61%) say that they have done some exercise over the last year. Top of the popularity table is cycling (44% of respondents have ridden a bicycle during the last year), with swimming coming second (20%) and walking in the country in third place (14%). Relatively frequent physical activities also include working out in a gym or sports hall (12%), self-motivated working out at home (12%) and running or jogging (11%).

The new education reform came into force in September 2017. It abolished the middle schools that had been set up in 1999, bringing in an eight-year elementary school followed by a four‑year general or a five‑year technical high school, with first‑level and second‑level trade schools replacing previous vocational schools. After a year, there are still doubts about whether the reform was adequately prepared, properly implemented, or even justifiable in the first place. People who were asked about this towards the end of August, mostly believed that education had needed reforming (52%, with 37% of the opposite view), but had considerable misgivings in about the way the reform was prepared (40% negative opinions as against 29% positive) and how it was implemented (36% to 31% respectively).

Since 2006 there has been a three-fold increase in the importance to people of whether eggs come from caged hens or not (from 13% to 35%); at the same time there has been a drop of over a half in people who look for low-priced eggs (from 27% to 11%). The percentage of people who look at size when buying eggs is also systematically shrinking.

This year Poland celebrates regaining independence a hundred years ago. This centenary seemed a good time to revisit the subject of patriotism and pride in being Polish. In the survey people were asked whether they felt pride in their nationality and the circumstances in which they felt this. A decided majority felt pride in their nationality ‘quite often’ (71%), with a quarter (26%) saying that they felt this way ‘very often’.

The vast majority of adults (86%) listen to music at least a few times a week. The largest percentage of these (68%) usually listen to what is broadcast on the radio, followed by those (39%) who most often choose the music on TV, while close to a third (30%) go for free online music. Only 8% of the people who listen to music make use of paid internet services. The remainder indicate CDs or DVDs as their main source of music (14%), audio files saved to devices such as smartphones or computers (11%) and vinyl records (2%).

The survey carried out in July shows that superstitions are alive and well among Polish people, and the practice of irrational customs to bring good luck or ward off bad luck remains common. Only 15% of those surveyed do not accept superstitions and the everyday behaviours associated with them, which means that the remaining 85% either believe in superstitions (2%), engage in superstitious practices (31%) or both (52%).

When assessing what is available for patients within the framework of the national health insurance system, a decided majority of those surveyed were positive about doctors’ competence, access to GPs (primary care physicians) and their commitment to their work. Among the most negatively rated aspects of the health service was access to specialists and diagnostic tests, and also the inadequate number of medical personnel in hospitals.

Over the last two years the number of Polish people not interested in football at all has greatly diminished. Just before the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals began in Russia, more people declared their interest in this sport than in June 2016 before the UEFA European Championship. A common interest in football brings together people from different social groups, and although there are still more men (71%) than women (42%) who are interested, this difference has become smaller over the last two years.

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances. In order to express the full dynamic of changes in social mood, this quarterly summary is presented in the form of mean assessments on a five-point scale from -2 to +2.

This is the first time there has been a survey of readers of CBOS publications, including those who read them online. CBOS reports are the most widely-read of the publications. Overall, the readers are mostly academics, students, journalists and public employees.

In the May survey working people were asked whether they would find it easy or difficult to find a new job with similar pay to their current one. Almost the same percentage said it would be easy (47%) as said they were afraid it would be hard (46%).

Before the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, taking place in Warsaw on 25-28 May, people were asked about their attitude towards Poland’s membership of the Alliance and associated issues of security.

As a result of the protest by adults with disabilities and their parent-carers, the government has come up with a plan for an additional 4% tax to be paid by the 25,000 top earners in Poland, from which the money would go to finance certain services for people with disabilities.

In the month preceding this survey just over half of internet users (51%, which is a third of all adults) did some on-line shopping. This is a larger number than a year ago, and the largest since CBOS records began in 2002. There are most regular on-line shoppers among those internet users with higher education (67%) and aged 35-44 (63%), and least among those aged over 55 (27% aged 55-64 and 29% aged over 65), with primary education only (21%) and in a poor financial situation (19%).

Polish people currently see relations between our two countries as being better than before the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. This is also one of the highest assessments of mutual relations since CBOS records began.

An improvement in cooperation within the European Union should be the top priority of Polish foreign policy, according to public opinion. Maintaining a strategic alliance with the United States should be the next, and the development of regional cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative was also mentioned as an important foreign policy goal by a comparatively large number of people.

There is an ongoing protest in the parliament building by adults with disabilities and their parent-carers. Among their demands is the bringing in of a physiotherapy allowance of 500 zloty a month, for people with disabilities over the age of 18 who are unable to live independently, and the raising of benefit (renta socjalna) for those completely unable to work because of a disability that started before they became economically active, to the level of the lowest disability benefit (renta z tytułu niezdolności do pracy) awarded to those completely unable to work and whose disability began after they had become economically active. Here is a reminder of the results of our research into the situation of people with disabilities.

Seventy-five years ago an uprising broke out in the Warsaw ghetto. Virtually all Poles have heard about this event, although only one in nine (11%) knows the date it happened. Six respondents in every hundred (6%) do not know anything at all about it.

The assumption behind the development of local government is that it should contribute to a broadening dialogue between local authorities and residents. And in fact, such a dialogue is happening in more and more Polish towns and administrative units (gmina) through various kinds of co-operation and through particular programmes that enable residents to participate in decision-making, e.g. public consultations, citizens’ initiatives or participatory budgeting. Initiatives of this type appear to be quite effective and are also considered a success by residents. A majority of people (64%) think that in their town or gmina residents’ opinions are taken into consideration when local authorities take decisions affecting them, although only 8% have no doubt at all that this is the case. A quarter of respondents (24%) say that in their town or gmina the authorities make their decisions without taking residents’ voices into account, and 4% were categorical about this.

Over two-fifths of people (44%) maintain that smog is a serious problem where they live, including one fifth (19%) who consider the problem to be very serious. Almost one in three (29%) say the problem of air pollution in their area is small in scale, while every fourth person (24%) does not see it as a problem at all.

In connection with the forthcoming World Autism Awareness Day (2nd April), which kicks off the World Autism Awareness Month, people in Poland were asked about perceptions of this increasingly more frequently diagnosed condition. The overwhelming majority of respondents had heard of autism (83%). The condition is most often associated with being locked in a world of one’s own, with withdrawal and isolation (36%), difficulties with human contact (18%) and with communicating with other people (13%).

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances. In order to express the full dynamic of changes in social mood, this quarterly summary is presented in the form of mean assessments on a five-point scale from -2 to +2.

On the whole, people in Poland are positive about regulations to improve the situation of animals, and also about changes to criminal law in this area. There is virtually no argument with higher penalties for cruelty to animals, nor with imposing a lifetime ban from keeping animals on people who have shown particular cruelty to them. Voices against, however, are most numerous when it comes to delegalizing the use of animals in circuses, and can also be heard, though in smaller numbers, in relation to banning the breeding of animals for fur, and to keeping dogs chained up.

In 2017 54% of adult Poles went away for at least two days, so slightly more than in 2016 (a rise of 3 percentage points). It is also the highest percentage since CBOS began asking about leisure trips that include at least one overnight stay.

Polish people understand Jewish worries concerning the amendment to the Institute of National Remembrance Act, but do not share them. In all, over half of those surveyed (52%) said they understood the concern that making it a punishable offence to utter public falsehoods about the responsibility of the Polish state or the Polish people for atrocities committed during World War II, would block discussion of the various attitudes of non-Jewish Poles towards Jews during that period. At the same time, less than a quarter of those surveyed (24%) admitted to sharing these concerns.

The year 2017 saw an increase in Polish people’s charity activities: most often this took the form of donations of money (71%, up 7 percentage points over 2016) or goods (62%, up 3 points), while donating one’s work was less frequent (25%, up 5 points), as was working as a volunteer (8%, up 2 points).

On December 20th 2017 the European Commission took the decision to trigger article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, and filed a motion with the EU Council to find that there was a strong likelihood of infringement of European values in Poland. If, as the next step of this ongoing procedure, there were to be a vote in the European Council on a motion to find that Poland was seriously and continuously infringing European values, which could result in future sanctions, according to Polish public opinion at least one country would stand on Poland’s side. A total of 63% of the people polled were of this opinion, and 35% believed there would be more than one such country.

Over the last year there has been a fairly clear improvement in community mood. In comparison with the previous survey, there has been an increase in the percentage of respondents who see people around them as relaxed and generally pleased, with a concurrent decrease in the percentage of those who see anxious people, fearful of what the future might bring. It is worth noting that how people perceive the mood of their communities depends to a large extent on their political views and party preferences. Respondents who identified as right-wing or were potential Law and Justice voters were considerably more likely to identify positive feelings in their surroundings.

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances.

Most Polish people predict that their Christmas spending this year will be much the same as last year’s. The few who anticipate differences in this respect more often talk about limiting costs than increasing them.

Over half of those polled think that most people in this country have a good attitude towards disabled people, one third is of the opposite view, while only a very few do not have an opinion on this subject.

At the end of October the Sejm voted in an act concerning primary health care, and at the beginning of November the Senate did likewise. The act gives general practitioners greater responsibility for patient care, and simultaneously transfers to them some of the functions performed up to now by specialists. Primary health care practitioners are to serve as guides for patients throughout the whole health care system, ensuring continuity and a holistic approach to patient needs. Poles are divided in their assessment of this mode of operation. Although almost half of those polled (48%) believe it will be beneficial for patients, only a slightly smaller percentage (42%) are of the opposite opinion, including one in eight (12%) of respondents who are decidedly worried by the changes brought in by the act.

A ban on Sunday trading, which would not include Sundays coming before a holiday, certain kinds of shops and shops in which the owner served customers, is supported by almost six out of ten people surveyed (58%, a drop of three percentage points over the last year), while almost two-fifths are against it (37%, an increase of five points). The less restrictive version, which allows trading every other Sunday (shops would open on the second and fourth Sundays of the month), has met with less approval. Even so, there are more people in favour (51%) than against (43%).

Two-fifths of the people asked (41%) say that there are times when a feeling of isolation comes over them, but very few (4%) say they feel lonely all or most of the time. Almost a fifth (18%) say they sometimes feel this way and a comparable number (19%) say it happens to them only rarely. Over a half of respondents (58%) state that feelings of loneliness are completely foreign to them.

In recent years more national symbols have been appearing in public places, particularly in the form of ‘patriotic clothing’ incorporating national symbols in the design. We asked people what they thought about this, in which situations it was justified and when it was a misappropriation.

The key criteria for consumers when buying everyday products remain, unwaveringly, price (81%) and quality (76%). The Polish provenance of a product comes third in this respect, indicated by almost half of respondents (46%). Over sixteen months the group of consumers for whom this was an important factor in their everyday shopping increased substantially (by 13 percentage points). The foreign provenance of a product, on the other hand, was, and still is, indicated in this context extremely rarely.

Behaviour that is seen as abusive towards women is above all that which leaves no doubt as to intention and context: propositions of a sexual nature made to a woman who is a stranger, or deliberately touching her in a sexualised way. Women are more likely than men to classify all the behaviours included in the question as definitely abusive to people of their gender, while men are more inclined to treat them in the category of compliments.

Towards the end of September, the Sejm looked at legislation being proposed by MPs from the Kukiz’15 grouping, concerning guns and ammunition. According to the proponents, the aim was to simplify and standardise regulations, and limit the discretionary element in granting permits. Opponents argued that the proposed legislation would, in effect, amount to a liberalisation of legal access to firearms and would significantly limit state control in this area.

Compared to last year, slightly more households arranged for their school-age children to go away for at least a week during this year’s summer holidays. At the same time there was a slight decrease in the percentage of households that set up a longer, two-week or more, holiday for their children. It is worth adding that, in comparison to last year, the number of trips abroad has grown, both those lasting at least a week and those lasting at least a fortnight. Particularly clear is the rise in the percentage of households arranging for at least a week’s holiday abroad for their children, when comparing responses from this year and last year given by representatives of all households where there are school-age children.

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances. In order to express the full dynamic of changes in social mood, this quarterly summary is presented in the form of mean assessments on a five-point scale from –2 to +2.

Polish people are increasingly satisfied with the financial situation of their households. Since 1993 the percentage of respondents happy with their own standard of living has risen from 3% to 26%, with a simultaneous drop in the percentage of those who consider their lives to be too modest or downright poor, from 51% to 18%. The numbers of those who feel at risk of poverty are also dropping: over the past twenty years the percentage of people unworried about their future finances has grown from 11% to 30%, while those living in fear of poverty decreased from 49% to 29%. In line with this context are the changes to the structure of household budgets as regards savings and loans.

More than every other Polish adult (51%) has been bitten by a tick at some point, while 13% have experienced this during the spring and summer season of this year. Despite such frequent contact with these spider-like creatures only a very few people decide to be examined by a doctor or consider vaccination. Analysis of social media has shown that there is very little interest in vaccinations against tick-borne encephalitis: questions about this form of prevention only appear sporadically.

As many as a third of Polish people (32%) say that they have been on a pilgrimage (whatever its form or purpose) at least once in their lives. This includes 14% who have been once and 18% who have been more than once.

Eight per hundred adult Polish people (8%) have at least one tattoo. Men still dominate this group, although women are not very far behind. A surge in interest in tattoos has been observed among Polish women during the last seven years, and it is in this period that over a half of them got their first adornment of this kind.

Poland is the most pro-EU of the countries in the Visegrad Group, with Poles being the most numerous and strongest supporters of their country’s membership of the European Union (88% in favour, including 52% decidedly in favour). A majority of those surveyed in the remaining countries of the V4 are also supporters of EU membership: over four fifths of Hungarians (82%), virtually three quarters of Slovaks (74%) and over a half of Czechs (56%).

Mobile phones are used by 92% of the adult population. Over a half (57%) use smartphones, while over two fifths (43%) use classic cellphones.

The last ten years have seen a significant improvement in people’s assessment of whether they could administer first aid. Currently two thirds of people surveyed (67%, a rise of 17 percentage points since 2007) said they would know how to give first aid in the event of an accident, although only 19% were certain of their abilities to do so. It is worth adding that a large part of those asked (44%) were interested in extending their abilities and would like to learn how to give first aid proficiently.

Young people are getting married less frequently and later in life, a consequence of the possibility of finding fulfilment in alternative arrangements. Over half of those asked (57%, 2 percentage points more than in 2005) say that there are adults in their immediate families who have not got married. On average, there is one such person for every household in Poland; more frequently these are men (55%) than women (45%).

Indicators of social moods used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances. In order to express the full dynamic of changes in social moods, this quarterly summary is presented in the form of mean assessments on a five-point scale from -2 to +2.

During the summer months there is usually a rise in the number of road traffic accidents, which is caused by the fact that traffic is heavier during this period. The use of mobile phones while driving is more and more often said to contribute to dangerous situations on the roads.

On the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May 1791, President Andrzej Duda announced his intention to hold a consultative referendum on the direction of changes to Poland’s political system. The referendum result was to help in creating a new constitution.

When comparing current research with that carried out four years ago, it is clear that there has been a drop in people’s personal experiences of corruption in Poland, which goes hand in hand with a much lower perception of corruption as a social problem than in 2013.

One consequence of the reprivatisation of old apartment buildings is that the new owners of these houses try to get rid of existing tenants by all means possible, sometimes including methods that are against the law. In our May research, we asked people if they knew of this phenomenon. Only two fifths (40%) said that they had never come across the problem. Over a half (56%) knew of incidents of landlord harassment from the media, while 4% had come across this in their own lives, with 2% stating that it had touched them personally, and 3% that it had touched a member of their family or one of their friends.

Over the last twelve months just about every other Pole (49%) has, at least once, played a game of chance for money, spending an average of 223 zloty and winning about 103 zloty, on average. Most popular were the numbers games operated by Totalizator Sportowy (the national lottery): two fifths of those surveyed (40%) placed a bet at an outlet approved for the Lotto draw at least once during the twelve months; almost a quarter (23%) tried their luck with scratchcards; and nearly one in ten (8%) took part in draws other than Lotto operated by Totalizator.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is bringing in new rules for financing institutions of higher education, setting limits on the number of students each lecturer can have. If the lecturer to student ratio is significantly different from the laid-down optimum (1:11-13) this will result in a cut to the ministry grant received by the institution. The aim is to guarantee suitable conditions for learning.

News and current affairs programmes on public service television (TVP) are generally seen as supportive of the government and the ruling party (64%), while programmes on TVN and TVN24 as supportive of the opposition (44%). However programmes on the Polsat and Polsat News channels are more often felt to be objective (46%).

Law and Justice (PiS) is seen as a party working to slow down European integration rather than deepen it. In the opinion of the greatest part of respondents (32%) the ruling party aims to limit integration and increase the role of nation states within the European Union. One respondent in five (20%) thinks that the goal of PiS is to maintain the current level of integration. However, the view that the ruling party is moving towards Poland leaving the EU altogether is hardly rare, being expressed by 17% of respondents. One in eight (12%) discerns in what PiS does a desire for greater integration of member states, while not many (5%) think that PiS is aiming for a Europe of different speeds, where some states would cooperate more closely than others.

The year 2001 saw the lowest ratings since our research began of how safe it was to live in Poland: only 18% of Polish people thought they were living in a safe country, while 81% were of the opposite opinion. Since then there has been a long-term upward trend, discernable to this day. Since the beginning of the century the percentage of respondents who consider Poland to be a safe place to live has increased virtually five-fold, with a record value of 89% this year. Although it is not a uniform trend, with values dropping in 2012–2015, yet from a long-term perspective there has been a radical change in how safe Poland is seen to be. Currently, the sense of living in a safe country is close to universal.

Over the twenty years that the CBOS Foundation has existed, Polish people have been called upon to vote many times:

Since 11 April 1997, when the Centre for Public Opinion Research special law came into force, CBOS has been functioning as a foundation.

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances. In order to express the full dynamic of changes in social mood, this quarterly summary is presented in the form of mean assessments on a five-point scale from -2 to +2.

On April 2^nd twenty years will have passed since the National Assembly voted in the Constitution of Poland. To mark the occasion, respondents were asked their opinions concerning this fundamental law. Does it have a wider significance than purely legislative? Does it actually have a bearing on the lives of citizens?

Almost a year ago the government introduced a monthly child benefit of 500 zloty for every second and subsequent child in a family, with first children in low-income families also included. Since that time, support for the programme has decreased slightly and is expressed less decisively. Even so, its approval rating remains very high (77%, with 20% disapproval).

The functioning of the Polish judicial system is rated as bad by half (51%) of those asked, and one person in eight (12%) says that it is very bad. Just over a third of respondents (36%) expressed a positive opinion on this, with only a very few (2%) thinking that the judiciary works very well. It is worth noting, however, that when compared to the previous poll, there has been an improvement in how the work of the Polish judicial system is perceived. The number of respondents who are satisfied with this work has increased (from 28% to 36%), alongside a drop in those making a negative judgement (from 61% to 51%). Even so, current assessments of the judicial system are worse than those in 2007, when positive opinions slightly exceeded negative ones.

After the Versailles meeting of leaders from Germany, France, Italy and Spain, during which they spoke out in favour of a multi-speed Europe, but before the last EU summit in Brussels, where Donald Tusk was re-elected President of the European Council, we decided to check on Polish people’s expectations concerning the future of the European Union. The short telephone poll was entrusted to Kantar Public (formerly TNS).

At the beginning of this year the Territorial Army Act came into effect, creating a Territorial Army to be one component of Poland’s armed forces, an addition and complement to the country’s existing defensive potential.

Over a half of Polish people (55%) have heard about the armed groups in post-war Poland, which struggled against the new, Soviet-imposed authorities. Six people in a hundred (6%) describe their knowledge of the subject as extensive, over a third (36%) say it is average, while approximately one in eight (13%) say it is poor. In this context the date of the 1st of March – National Cursed Soldiers Remembrance Day – appears to be barely recognised. Only one person in twenty (5%) seems to have heard of it.

The parliamentary acts to reform the education system, which abolish middle (junior high) schools and change the national curriculum, were voted in by the Sejm in December and signed by the President in January, but continue to fuel controversy and anxiety in various quarters, not all of them political. Those Polish people who have heard about this reform are very divided as to the changes it will bring to education. One third of respondents (34%) are more hopeful than anxious about the reform and an almost equal percentage (31%) has mixed feelings in this respect, while over a quarter (27%) are more anxious than hopeful.

Donald Tusk’s term of office as president of the European Council will be ending shortly. The former prime minister of Poland is prepared to continue in the role for another two and a half years. Over half of those asked (52%) were of the opinion that the Polish government should support his re-election.

Currently over a quarter of respondents (28%) agree with the statement that in certain situations undemocratic government is more desirable than democratic, while over a half (52%) is of the opposite opinion. A discernable rise in criticism of undemocratic political methods occurred after the last general election and was evident in last year’s opinion polls. Not only is the level of this criticism higher this year than in 2016, but it is also the highest recorded since 1992.

The way Polish people feel about themselves has undergone a visible improvement since the beginning of the 1990s. There has been a significant rise in the percentage of respondents who frequently, or very frequently, experience positive emotions such as satisfaction that they have accomplished something in life, confidence that everything is going well, pride in their achievements and also a feeling of being interested or excited about something.

During the protest in the lower chamber of parliament, the idea emerged of early elections to the Sejm and the Senate. If such elections were to take place, according to public opinion they would not lead to a change of government. Half of those asked believe that Law and Justice would stay at the helm, while just over a quarter (28%) think there would be a change.

Happiness levels over the past two years have been at their highest since 1994, when Polish people were asked about their avowed happiness for the first time. At the end of 2016 just over three quarters of adults (76%) said they were happy with their lives as a whole, the same proportion as a year previously. The percentage of those who declared themselves to be moderately happy with their lives was also virtually unchanged (21%). There continued to be only a small group who expressed unhappiness with their lives in general (3%), and most of these actually said they were rather unhappy (2%). The biggest influence on how happy people felt about their lives was their perception of what the future held for them.

Indicators of social mood used in our research include evaluations of and forecasts for Poland’s economy and politics, respondents’ workplaces and their own household finances.

CBOS is obligated to monitor the mood of the public, so during this heated parliamentary crisis we decided entrust Kantar Public (formerly TNS) with a brief telephone poll.

Compared to the previous decade, there has been an increase in the number of people who know someone from abroad now living in Poland (from 26% in 2010 to 33% now). Most often these are Ukrainians (known by 17% of respondents now, 6% in 2010). There has also been a rise in the proportion of respondents who actually know someone who employs people from abroad (from 14% in 2010 to 26% now).

The flu season is in full swing. What do Polish people think about flu vaccination? What encourages them to get the flu jab and what puts them off?

After thirty-five years since the declaration of martial law (which lasted from December 1981 to July 1983), we can observe the beginnings of the institutionalisation of knowledge about that period and changes in sources of information. Although for most Poles their own experiences remain the main source of their knowledge, nevertheless clear differences between generations have emerged. Respondents who were children in 1981-1983 for the most part get their knowledge from family and friends, while those born after martial law rely to a much greater extent on information provided by schools. Only a quarter of the youngest age group (under 25) said that the accounts of people they knew were their main source of information. This shows that gradually martial law is changing from being something people learn about through the lens of individual experience and is starting to become part of the systematised knowledge of history. This also influences opinions about whether it was right to bring it in.