Currently, nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) are convinced of the existence of social conflicts in Poland, and one-seventh believe that they do not exist (14%). The perception of conflict in society is currently similar to that recorded a decade ago, but clearly higher than at the end of the Polish People's Republic and in the first years of the current system. At that time, conflicts were less frequently noticed, and a significant number of respondents did not have a specific opinion on this subject. Apart from the processes of democratization of social life, the spread of the Internet may have contributed to the increased awareness of the existence of various conflicts and social divisions, which was reflected in the increased sense of social conflict in the years 1996–2013.

People talk and write about social conflicts in Poland. Do you think such conflicts actually exist?

The analyses show that the perception of social conflicts depends primarily on political views measured on a left-centre-right scale. Conflicts are perceived relatively most often by people identifying with the left (76%) and the centre (77%). Taking into account other socio-demographic characteristics, it can be noticed that this view is expressed more often by the better educated people, i.e. those with at least secondary education (75% among people with secondary education, 79% among those with higher education), inhabitants of the largest cities (80%), respondents with lower income per capita (78% among respondents with income up to PLN 1,499 per person). The oldest respondents aged 65 or more express this view less often than others (68%).

According to declarations, the strongest dividing lines are currently at the political level. Conflicts between supporters of the government and the opposition are perceived as very strong or strong by the vast majority of respondents (84%). More than half of Poles notice clear dividing lines between supporters of social and moral changes and their opponents (59% consider these conflicts to be very strong or strong). Only very few do not see conflicts in these two dimensions (2%-3%). The analyses show that the perception of both types of conflicts is quite closely related. The divisions between Poles and immigrants from other countries were third in terms of the intensity of conflict (46% of respondents consider them to be very strong or strong). Relatively few people believe that such conflicts do not occur (8%). In terms of the degree of conflict, the divisions between elites and ordinary people, the poor and the rich, and believers and non-believers are perceived in a quite similar way (36%-39% of respondents consider them to be very strong or strong). Divisions between employers and employees are slightly less frequently noticed (28% consider them strong or very strong). Similarly, a quarter see a conflict between different generations. i.e. the young and the old (25% consider them strong or very strong). However, divisions between the city and the countryside, those working manually and intellectually, as well as between women and men are not significant sources of conflict in our society (between 14% and 18% of respondents consider them to be very strong or strong).

In your opinion, how strong are the conflicts in Poland between:

Over the last two decades, there have been major changes in the perception of social divisions and conflicts. The importance of economic divisions has decreased. The share of Poles who perceived very strong or strong divisions between the poor and the rich decreased from 60% to 37%. It is worth mentioning in this context that over the last twenty years, not only have the subjective assessments of the financial conditions of households improved significantly, but also (taking into account, for example, changes in the value of the Gini coefficient) social stratification has decreased.

In your opinion, how strong are the conflicts in Poland between the rich and the poor.