Auschwitz-Birkenau in the collective
memory, 75 years after liberation
The Auschwitz camp is a symbol of genocide committed by Germans during
World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly established the International
Holocaust Remembrance Day, and its date was set for January 27, the day when
Soviet soldiers opened the gates of KL Auschwitz.
For more than a quarter of Poles,
Auschwitz or other Nazi concentration
and prisoner-of-war camps are part of
the family history (for 27%, or for 21% if
o n l y co n ce n t ra t i o n ca m p s a r e
inc luded). Almost one-tenth of
respondents (9%) declare that one of
their relatives was a prisoner of Auschwitz, and four out of a hundred (4%) lost a
family member there.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp museum in Oświęcim was visited by over half of
respondents (55%). The visitors were more often people for whom this place is
associated with family history (someone close to them was a prisoner or died in
Auschwitz-Birkenau) than others who did not have such mediated experiences
(72% vs. 53%).
In the opinion of over seven-tenths (71%), the memory of Auschwitz is now of
universal importance: it is important for every person, all over the world. One-
tenth (10%) consider the memory of this largest Nazi camp as important mainly
for Poles, and eight out of one hundred (8%) think it matters for those who were
imprisoned there or experienced other persecutions during World War II and for
the families of the victims. Slightly fewer (6%) emphasize the importance of
remembrance of Auschwitz for the older generation who remember the war.
Relatively few believe that it is important above all for Jews (2%) or for young,
post-war generations (2%). Over the past five years, the belief in the universality
of Auschwitz symbolism has
strengthened, and at the same
time there are more people
pointing to its significance for
Poles. However, there are fewer
people who think that it belongs to
the past and is important mainly
for people who remember the war.
T h e n a m e s " O ś w i ę c i m /
A u s c h w i t z " a r e p r i m a r i l y
associated with the place of
martyrdom of the Polish nation
(43%), and slightly less often, with
the Holocaust of Jews (38%).
Taking into account the twenty-
five-year perspective, it can be
PUBLICOPINION
POLISH
Solid and Professional
CONTENTS
IN ADDITION
Auschwitz-Birkenau
in the collective memory,
75 years after liberation
Employment
of foreigners in Poland
TO THE REPORTS REFERRED TO ABOVE,
THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED
RECENTLY (IN POLISH):
· Politician of the Year 2019 in Poland and
in the World
· Predictions for 2020
· Social Moods in 2019 - Synthetic
Measures
· Expectations for the New Government of
Mateusz Morawiecki
· Political Party Preferences in January
· Opinions about Parliament, President
and Local Authorities
· Social Moods in January
· Attitude to Government in January
· Trust in Politicians in January
· The Year 2019 Marked by Elections and
Fears of Climate Change
Perception
of social structure
ISSN 2083-1714
1/2020
Satisfaction with life
Was anyone from your family,
relatives or people close to you:
9%
4%
14%
13%
a prisoner of the Auschwitz camp
died in the Auschwitz camp
a prisoner of some other Nazi
concentration camp
a prisoner of a Nazi
prisoner-of-war camp
For whom is the memory of Oświęcim /
Auschwitz important today?
68%
71%
6%
10%
10%
8%
9%
6%
3%
2%
2%
2%
For everyone, for every
person, for the whole world
For Polish people
For people who survived Auschwitz or
suffered other persecution during the war
and for the families of the victims
For the older generation
who remember war
For Jews
For the young generation,
for post-war generations
Other answers
Don't know
2015
2020
2%
0%
0%
1%
2
What do you primarily associate the word "Oświęcim /
Auschwitz" with? Is it primarily…
seen that more and more often this place is associated
primarily with Holocaust of Jews.
Half of Poles (49%) come into contact with foreigners
working in Poland at least once a week while shopping or
using various types of services. More than one-eighth (7%)
declare having used paid assistance of a foreigner (e.g. for
housework, renovation, childcare) or employed a
foreigner, e.g. on a construction site or in agriculture.
Since 2016, the number of respondents who know
someone employing a foreigner personally has increased
from 26 to 44%.
There are more and more foreigners (people without
Polish citizenship) living in Poland. Citizens of which
countries, in your opinion, are currently most common
in Poland? Up to 3 answers possible.
Other associations formulated by the respondents with
the words "Oświęcim / Auschwitz" usually refer to the
place of martyrdom or extermination of both Jews and
Poles (70%), many different nationalities (20%), or
generally to destruction, tragedy, the crime of Nazism
without distinguishing any nationality (11%).
More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in
Polish: “Auschwitz-Birkenau in Collective Memory – 75 Years after
Liberation", January 2019. Fieldwork for national sample: January
2020, N=1016. The random address sample is representative for adult
population of Poland.
Employment of foreigners
in Poland
Poles have noticed the recent influx of Ukrainians to
Poland, and among the three most numerous groups of
foreigners, apart from Ukrainians, they mention
Belarusians and Vietnamese. Social perception regarding
the country of origin of foreigners residing in Poland is
largely consistent with official data, according to which
Ukrainians, and then Belarusians, Germans, Russians and
Vietnamese register most often to stay in our country.
Do you personally know someone employing a foreigner
(e.g. as a home help, babysitter, nurse, employee on
a construction site or during renovation, in agriculture,
etc.)?
32
37
45
43
18
17
33
38
48
43
20
16
1
2
2
2
2
1995
2005
2015
2020
the place of martyrdom
of the Polish nation
the place of Holocaust
of Jews
Other
answers
I don't know anything
about Auschwitz
Don't
know
%
70%
93%
17%
23%
26%
21%
21%
12%
15%
10%
Ukraine
Belarus
Vietnam
China
EU countries
11%
10%
10%
8%
15%
6%
6%
3%
5%
3%
Other former USSR countries
(e.g. Moldova, Georgia)
Other Asian countries
(e.g. Nepal, India, Bangladesh)
Russia
African countries
USA
Other
2015
2019
9
14
14
26
44
91
86
86
74
56
2006
2008
2010
2016
2019
Yes No
%
The percentage of respondents who have a friend from
another country living in Poland has increased from 33%
to 40%. Such acquaintances are characteristic of
inhabitants of urban agglomerations, executives and
specialists with higher education.
Do you know personally a foreigner living in Poland?
25
30
27
26 26
33
40
74
69
72 72
74
66
59
1 1 1
2
0
1 1
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1999 2004 2006 2008 2010 2016 2019
Yes
No
Don't know
Currently, the majority of respondents (62%) are in favour
of foreigners taking up work in Poland freely. Less than a
third (29%) believe that job opportunities for foreigners
should be limited: it would be best if only certain types of
work were available to them. Only a small number think
that foreigners should not be allowed to work in Poland at
all. Since 1992, acceptance of foreigners taking up work in
Poland has been steadily increasing.
13%
4%
Don't know
1%
0%
Should foreigners be allowed to work in Poland?
9
18
31
34
50
50
55
62
39
46
42
47
36
31
30
29
42
31
22
13
10
14
10
4
9
5
5
6
4
5
5
5
1992
1999
2004
2006
2008
2010
2016
2019
Yes, they should be
allowed to take up
any job
Yes, but only
some jobs
They should not be
allowed to work
in Poland at all
Don't know
%
3
and the situation on the labour market have improved
significantly. A noticeable improvement in living
conditions has changed the perception of social structure.
For the first time in the history of CBOS research, the most
frequently chosen model for describing society is the one
in which the largest is the medium layer (type D). Still,
people perceiving society in this way belong to a minority
(28%), and a significant group of respondents (42% in
total) believe that social structure is best represented by
pyramid-like models, in which the layers below are more
numerous (type B and type C). Currently, less frequently
than six years ago and far less often than in the nineties, a
model resembling a column with a very broad base
crowned with capital (type A, 13%) is chosen to describe
society. It presents a society with high contrasts, with
most people occupying the lowest stratum.
More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in
Polish: “Foreigners Working in Poland", January 2019. Fieldwork for
national sample: November 2019, N=944. The random address sample
is representative for adult population of Poland.
Perception of social structure
Recent years have been a period of rapid improvement in
the living conditions of Poles. Disposable income per
person increased from 1,299 PLN in 2013 to 1,693 PLN in
2018, and the minimum wage increased from 1,600 PLN
(pre-tax) to 2,250 PLN in 2019 (currently it is 2,600 PLN).
Three years ago, a minimum hourly rate was introduced,
which also increases dynamically - in 2017 it was 13 PLN
(pre-tax), in 2019 it was 14.7 PLN, and currently it is 17 PLN.
The unemployment rate has also dropped significantly in
recent years. In September 2013, the registered
unemployment rate reached 13%, while in November
2019 it was 5.1%. In addition, the Family 500 plus program
has been operating since April 2016, under which parents
or guardians receive parental benefit in the amount of 500
PLN per child. Initially, the income criterion for the first
child was in force, from July 2019 the benefit is granted to
all children. The improvement of objective indicators is
reflected in the subjective perception of material position.
In recent years, the assessment of the material conditions
of households, perceptions of the condition of workplaces
Since 2010, Poles have become much more supportive of
the work of non-EU foreigners in our country. The vast
majority of respondents believe that people and
companies employing them (81%) and the Polish
economy (74%) benefit from the work of non-EU
foreigners. More than half (51%) believe that the work of
non-EU foreigners is beneficial for all employed persons,
and more than two-fifths (44%) see benefits for
themselves personally.
In Poland, non-EU citizens from countries such as Ukraine,
Belarus, Moldova, as well as Nepal and India take up work.
Do you think that their work is beneficial…
17
17
33
44
55
39
63
74
25
17
38
51
77
73
84
88
32
37
28
19
25
36
19
13
56
64
43
32
9
12
5
4
51
47
39
37
21
25
18
13
19
19
19
17
14
15
11
8
2008
2010
2016
2019
2008
2010
2016
2019
2008
2010
2016
2019
2008
2010
2016
2019
Beneficial Not beneficial Don't know
%
for persons
and companies
employing these
people
for you personally
for the Polish
economy
for all employees
Types of societies:
Type A
A small elite at the top, very
few people in the middle
and most people below
51%
44%
41%
31%
13%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
Type B
Society like a pyramid - a small
elite at the top, more people
in the middle and most
at the bottom
18%
25%
25%
33%
23%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
Type C
Pyramid, except that there
are slightly fewer people
at the bottom
6%
8%
9%
12%
19%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
Type D
Society where most people
are in the middle
8%
8%
10%
14%
28%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
Type E
Most people at the top
and only a few below
4%
3%
3%
5%
3%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
Don't know
13%
12%
13%
6%
14%
1992*
1994
1997**
2013
2019
What kind of society
is Poland today - which
drawing is the closest to it?
* data from comparative research of the International Social Survey Program
** Data from the study of the Australian National University and the Institute
of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Over the past six years, the perception of one's own place
in the social structure has improved significantly. Half of
respondents (10 percentage points more than in 2013 and
29 points more than in 1994) place themselves and their
family in the middle of the social ladder. The others are
much more often below, than above the middle (34% vs.
13%). It is worth noting that numerical prevalence of self-
placement below the middle over self-placement above
has been gradually decreasing since we have monitored
this issue. In 1994 there were ten times more people
subjectively situated below the middle than above, three
years later there were nine times more, in 2013 nearly five
times, and now about three times more.
4
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Where would you place yourself and your family: above,
somewhere in the middle or below?
0%
1%
6%
21%
25%
26%
21%
0%
0%
1%
6%
29%
27%
21%
15%
2%
1%
1%
8%
40%
22%
18%
9%
1%
2%
1%
10%
50%
21%
10%
3%
3%
Up 1
2
3
4
5
6
Down 7
No data / Don't know
1994
1997
2013
2019
More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in
Polish: “Perception of Social Structure", January 2019. Fieldwork for
national sample: November 2019, N=944. The random address sample
is representative for adult population of Poland.
Satisfaction with life
Poles are satisfied with their life more often than a year
ago and most often in the history of CBOS research of this
matter, i.e. since 1994. Currently, 83% of respondents are
satisfied with their lives. Nearly one in seven (15%)
declares average life satisfaction, while two out of a
hundred (2%) declare dissatisfaction.
Relatively the most satisfied with life are people aged 25 to
34, the best educated, managers and specialists,
administrative and office employees, technicians and
mid-level employees, skilled workers, respondents who
obtain the highest income per capita and assess their own
financial situation well, and also those most involved in
religious practices. On the other hand, the least satisfied
are respondents who live in bad material living conditions
and declare the lowest income, people aged 65 and over,
unskilled workers as well as the disabled and the
unemployed.
In general, are you satisfied with your whole life?
83
15
2
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
XI
'94
I
'97
IV
'99
XII
'00
XII
'01
XII
'02
XII
'03
XII
'04
XII
'05
XII
'06
XII
'07
XII
'08
XII
'09
XII
'10
XII
'11
XII
'12
XII
'13
XII
'14
XII
'15
XII
'16
XII
'17
XII
'18
XII
'19
Yes
Ambivalent
No
"Don't know" omitted.
For most Poles, social life and family relationship are a
source of satisfaction. The vast majority of respondents
declare satisfaction with friends and close acquaintances
(85%), three-quarters are happy with their children (75%
in total, and 95% among parents), and over two-thirds are
positive about their marriage or an informal permanent
relationship (69% in total, and 90% among people in a
relationship). Poles are generally satisfied with their place
of residence (84%). Satisfaction with material conditions,
e.g. housing, furnishings, is expressed by two-thirds
(67%). Respondents clearly are less satisfied with their
income. Over a third (36%) are satisfied, while more than a
fifth (22%) are dissatisfied, and two-fifths (41%) express
an ambivalent opinion in this respect.
Almost two-thirds (63%) feel good about their education
and qualifications, and more than half are satisfied with
their work (52% in total, and 71% among those who have
ever worked). Six out of ten adults (60%) declare
satisfaction with their health. Every second Pole (51%) is
confident about their future prospects.
In general, are you satisfied with your…
material living conditions (housing,
equipment, etc.)
Satisfied Dissatisfied
Not
applicable
Ambivalent
Don't know,
refusal
to answer
%
friends
85 13 11
place of residence
84 11 5
children
75 3 2011
marriage / permanent relationship
69 4 2232
67 26 7
education, qualifications
63 26 11
health
60 21 19
career
52 18 2433
future prospects
51 33 9 7
income and financial situation
36 41 22 1
More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in
Polish: “Life Satisfaction", January 2019. Fieldwork for national
sample: December 2019, N=910. The random address sample is
representative for adult population of Poland.
