Only recently, we were assured that Poles and Ukrainians had joined a relationship that cannot be broken up. It was to be the foundation of a fresh political order in our part of Europe. In the meantime, further public opinion surveys show that social sentiments on both sides of the border are clearly changing. Poles are increasingly skeptical of Ukrainians, and Ukrainians treat Poles with expanding distance. What is peculiarly interesting is that it is not only a request of Polish observers. The alarming data is besides published by Ukrainian sociological centres and media.
Only 2 percent of friendship
On 13 October, the Ukrainian agency UNIAN published an article by Łesi Łeschenko entitled "Лише 2% громадян відносини України та Польщі Польщі цілком дружніми дружніми" ("Only 2% of citizens consider relations between Ukraine and Poland to be completely friendly"). The results presented are barely seen as confirming the popular communicative of a remarkable rapprochement of both nations.
The survey conducted by Operational Sociology on 10-18 June 2026 included 2007 adult Ukrainians surviving in territories controlled by the Kiev authorities. His results were presented during a press conference by the manager of Denys Denysenko.
Only 2.4% of respondents considered Polish-Ukrainian relations to be completely friendly. Another 16% assessed them as mostly friendly. On the another hand, as much as 56% of respondents stated that the relations of both countries on certain issues are friendly and in others hostile. The others judged them mostly or entirely hostile.
It should be noted, of course, that the question afraid the relation between countries, not the individual sympathy of all Ukrainian to Poles. This does not change the fundamental pronunciation of the results: a clear friendly image of relations with Poland is shared by a vast number of respondents.
Aversion to Poles
While the June poll shows the current image of Polish-Ukrainian relations in the consciousness of Ukrainians, the earlier survey of the Kiev global Institute of Sociology (KIIS) allows to trace the change of attitudes towards Poles themselves.
On 2 April 2026, the Ukrainian agency Interfax-Ukraine published a material entitled "Ukrainians in 2025 worsened relations with Poles, Russians and Belarusians". The information was based on a survey conducted by KIIS between 19 September and 5 October 2025, on a example of 1,008 adult respondents.
Researchers utilized the scale of Bogardus' social distance. In simple terms, they checked how close they were to representatives of different nationalities to accept the surveyees. Would they agree to accept them as friends, neighbors, or associates, or would they like to keep more distance? The results proved peculiarly interesting in relation to Poles. In 2022 the index of social distance towards Poles was 3.0 points on a seven-step scale. In 2025 it increased to 4.1 points. This means that the score is down 1.1 points. This was the biggest shift towards expanding the distance between the national and social groups surveyed. By comparison, the distance to Americans and Canadians increased by 0.4 points and to Russian-speaking Ukrainians by 0.7 points.
Moreover, the authors of the KIIS study remind themselves that between 2022 and 2023 the Ukrainians' attitude towards Poles was among the most positive. This was mainly related to the function of Poland as 1 of the most crucial countries supporting Ukraine after the Russian invasion began. 3 years later, things were different.
From solidarity to increasing distance
The authors of the KIIS study besides effort to explain the origin of the observed phenomenon. In particular, they point to tensions in bilateral relations between 2023 and 2024. Among the mentioned factors are disputes concerning Ukrainian grain exports, protests by Polish farmers and border blockades. According to researchers, these events, widely commented on by Ukrainian media, may have shaped in part of the public the belief that Poland does not treat Ukraine fairly.
Sociologists besides point to historical disputes, including issues related to the Volyn crime, and sharp statements by politicians of both states. So we see that Ukrainians do not see problems on their own side. For example, in the substance of Volyn, in their perception, it is not the problem of the act itself, but the fact that Poles dare to request justice.
Deserved reciprocity
The attitude of the Ukrainian side has consequences in Poland. On February 5, 2026, CBOS published a communication No. 16/2026 "The relation of Poles to another nations", prepared by Jan Kujawski. The authors stated that the 3rd year in a row worsened the attitude of Poles to the nations, which clearly gained in their eyes immediately after the start of the war. Among them were the Ukrainians.
An even more marked change in social moods was shown by a CBOS survey published on 17 July 2026. Communication No 74/2026 "Poles on the simplification of aid to refugees from Ukraine", developed by Beata Roguszka and Jonathan Scovil, has produced results that would have been hard to imagine a fewer years earlier.
For the first time in the past of measurements, opponents of Ukrainian exile admission were the majority of respondents. 52% of respondents were opposed to their adoption, while 42% expressed support.
At the same time, 54 percent of the respondents considered the aid provided to refugees to be besides large. A year earlier, in September 2025, 50% of respondents presented a akin opinion.
For comparison, immediately after the start of the Russian invasion in 2022 as many as 94 percent of Poles supported the admission of Ukrainian refugees. From almost universal approval to the advantage of opponents in 4 years. It is hard to have a clearer image of temper changes.
Political declarations collide with reality
A summary of Polish and Ukrainian investigation leads to a reasonably clear conclusion. Exceptionally affirmative moods from the first war period give way to more varied and frequently critical assessments. This does not mean that both societies have become hostile to each other. At least so far, it means that the deterioration of common evaluation is confirmed by independent studies conducted on both sides of the border.
The discrepancy between political declarations and citizens' sentiments deserves peculiar attention. authoritative rhetoric on exceptional partnership and historical reconciliation is not adequate to remove actual conflicts of interest, economical disputes or different assessments of common history.
Politicians can talk about relationship as long as they see fit. They may sign further declarations, organise ceremonies and guarantee the strategical importance of common relations. However, this does not change the fact that the social basis of this partnership requires more than solemn speeches.
Friendship can't be dedeceded. And real problems between nations do not vanish just due to the fact that politicians found them uncomfortable.
The results of investigation from the years 2022-2026 indicate the deteriorating social state of Polish-Ukrainian relations. Both the increase in the distance of Ukrainians towards Poles, as well as the decrease in the affirmative ratings of Ukrainians in Poland are documented phenomena. It is possible to argue about their causes, their meaning and their means of countering. It is increasingly hard to keep that this issue does not be at all.
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