Poles name Russia’s invasion of Ukraine past year’s “most important event” - poll

That’s according to a survey run in January by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CBOS), Ukrinform reports with reference to Wnp.pl.

As noted, 37.5% of respondents called Russia's war against Ukraine the most important event of 2022 at the national level. In this context, the Poles referred to both the aggression itself and all the events related to it, including humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. At the same time, 11.2% believe it was the reception of Ukrainians fleeing the war in Poland.

About 50% of respondents named either the Russian war against Ukraine or its implications for the country as the most important events of the year in Poland. Among the major events of the year, Poles also mentioned the inflation (3.7%), coronavirus pandemic (3.4%), and energy issues - the completion of the construction of the Northern Gas Pipeline, decision to build a nuclear power plant in Poland, and commissioning of an LPG terminal in Gdańsk (2 .2%).

At the same time, 30.6% of those surveyed could not choose a definite most important event.

Meanwhile, at the international level, 64.9% of respondents said the most important event was the Russian war against Ukraine, while 6.9% pointed to the solidarity of most countries regarding on providing military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Also, 71.8% of Poles named Russian aggression against Ukraine and other related events as the most important event of the past year. Among the other major events of the year were the COVID-19 pandemic (4.1%) and international energy crisis (1.4%). At the same time, 17.8% could not name a single most important international event.

The survey was conducted on January 9-22 among 1,028 Polish adults.