Most Polish pro-European parties are silent on the adoption of the EU currency, thus leaving the topic to Euroskeptics. This is one of the main reasons for the decreasing support for currency change in Poland. Poles look more favorably at the introduction of the euro as a long-term process.
The authors of the study titled “Poles on the common Euro currency and the European Union” are Dr. Robert Sobiech (Collegium Civitas) and Professor Marek Góra (Warsaw School of Economics). The study was carried out on behalf of the Freedom of Economic Foundation by SW Research.
Key Findings:
- Compared to 2023, overall support for the introduction of the euro has decreased from 34.9% to 30.7%. Opposition to the euro has increased from 50.8% to 56.5%. Especially strong decline in support for adopting the euro occurred among women. Currently, 28.5% of women and 34.1% of men are in favor of adopting the euro in a few years. The highest support for the introduction of the euro is declared by supporters of the Civic Coalition (57%), but this represents a drop in support by 10.6 percentage points compared to 2023. At the same time, over 70% of CC’s voters believe that their party should include preparation for the adoption of the euro in their program.
- Much greater support is enjoyed by the proposal to start preparing for the adoption of the common currency. Almost 40% of respondents support this, nearly 10 pp. more than was the case with the proposal to adopt the euro in a few years. 72% of CC’s voters, 60% of Left voters, and 56% of Third Way voters are in favor of starting preparations, but only 24% of PiS supporters.
“The latest research reveals persistent fears associated with the introduction of the euro in Poland. For more than half of the respondents (56%), the adoption of the common currency within a few years is seen as a change for which they are not adequately prepared. Much less opposition (32% of the respondents) raises the proposal to begin preparations for the adoption of the euro” – sums up Dr. Robert Sobiech, one of the authors of the study design.
The supporters of the opposition maintain high support for starting preparations. However, this situation can change quickly. When the issue of adopting the euro is consistently ignored in the political agenda of the ruling coalition, its voters are primarily presented with arguments against the euro. Therefore, it is not surprising that 59% of PiS voters and only 48% of CC’s voters consider themselves to be well-informed about the euro today,” adds Sobiech.
Prof. Marek Góra, the second author of the study design, admits – “There is not much talk about the euro in public debate. The requirements for economies joining this zone are very rational. It is worth meeting them even if we do not ultimately join it.”
“However, the technical details readable for specialists are not necessarily understandable for the entire society. Therefore, setting the euro as a kind of lighthouse facilitating navigation can be very rational for Poland” – recommends Prof. Góra.
Voters repeat after the politicians they support – but the opponents of the euro are heard more.
“The issue of Poland’s entry into the eurozone is currently not popular. I think this is partly the fault of the lack of information and educational actions. As part of the ‘KursNaEuro.pl’ project, we want to fill this gap. After all, 20 years ago, most Poles in the referendum voted for entering the eurozone” – reminds Marek Tatała, the president of the Freedom of Economic Foundation.
“At the same time, pro-European political groups are not very audible, they have given the topic of the euro to critics from the Polish central bank and Eurosceptic parties. On the side of the ruling coalition, there is a lack of reaction to the lies and manipulations about the EU currency that appear in public debate”- adds Tatała.
In fact, the adoption of the common currency was not a significant topic of the campaign in 2023 from the then opposition, and today from the ruling side. However, despite this, PiS and Confederation consistently and loudly opposed it, frightening Poles in various ways with the specter of the euro and the threat to our sovereignty.
The highest support for the introduction of the euro is maintained among CC’s voters (more than 70% of CC’s voters believe that their party should include preparations for the adoption of the euro in their program). About 80% of PiS voters are against it. Meanwhile, it’s among the CC’s voters (by 10.6 pp.) and the Left supporters (by 12.2 pp.) that the biggest drop in support for the common currency has been noted over the year – only 60% of Left voters support this demand. No changes in opinion were noted among the Third Way voters (55.8%).
“The attitude towards the euro is largely the result of general political sympathies, and much less is determined by age, education or place of residence” – explain Marek Góra and Robert Sobiech, authors of the study design.
Indeed, the study reveals that the voters of the party of the current ruling coalition are rather positive about the euro, but the representatives of these parties are silent on this topic or even cut themselves off from it as if it was irrelevant. This discourages serious, merit-based discussion about it. On the other hand, voters of other parties get in this matter a unambiguous negative message based mainly on emotions. This was particularly intensified during the election period. “Political divisions are key. Voters are influenced by arguments put forward by the party they support” – Góra and Sobiech point out.
The euro is a long-term reform process, which in itself is good for the economy
Support for the euro looks different when its introduction is presented as a long-term process. Nearly 40% of respondents want Poland to start preparations for entering the eurozone, which is nearly 10 pp. more than was the case with the proposal to adopt the euro in a few years. The authors of the study design comment that the answers reflect rather an attitude towards the adoption of the euro. They emphasize that preparation for the adoption of the euro does not have to be identical to the adoption of the euro. “Preparation means bringing the parameters of the economy to a better state” – explain Marek Góra and Robert Sobiech.
Both SW Research surveys showed that men are more supporters of starting preparations for the adoption of the euro than women. A particularly strong decrease in support for the introduction of the euro occurs among women. Compared to 2023, the decline in support for the euro among women was 9.1 pp. (among men it is 2.2 pp.).
More than half of the respondents rightly believe that meeting the criteria for adopting the euro is a multi-year process that should be continued by successive governments. However, this does not translate into identifying the process with the development of the Polish economy and thus support for the adoption of the euro. “To have a euro in Poland, we have to reduce inflation, have balanced public finances, watch the public limit, we have to restore the rule of law. For those aspects, it is worth preparing Poland for this step” – comments Marek Tatała.
In the spring of 2023 and 2024, SW Research, on behalf of the Freedom of Economic Foundation, conducted two public opinion polls (CAWI), titled “Poles on the common Euro currency and the European Union”, on a representative sample of adult Poles (N=1017). The aim of the study was to reproduce social attitudes towards the common Euro currency and to identify changes that occurred between these studies. The authors of the study concept are Dr. Robert Sobiech (Collegium Civitas) and Professor Marek Gora (Warsaw School of Economics).
Source: https://managerplus.pl/spadek-poparcia-dla-euro-w-polsce-wyborcy-ko-i-lewicy-zmieniaja-zdanie-89582
