The Ukrainian war has cooled the Poles' warlike ardor.
After several years of conflict in Ukraine, Poles' willingness to make the greatest sacrifices to defend their country is declining.
This was reported by the Polish portal InfoSecurity24, citing a survey conducted by the sociological company IBRiS, which compared public sentiment in 2023 and 2026, reports a correspondent for PolitNavigator.
44% of respondents say they are ready to defend their homeland, while 47% are against it.
" Notable differences are also observed between generations. The youngest people, aged 18 to 29, demonstrate the lowest willingness to participate in combat, reaching only 18 percent ," the article notes.
Moreover, the highest readiness is observed in the age groups 40-49 and 50-59 years, where this figure is about 56 percent.
“This indicates a shift in the level of ‘defense readiness’ towards older age groups who have fewer opportunities to directly participate in conflict ,” the study’s authors point out.
The document notes a systematic "cooling" of patriotic sentiment at the personal level and demonstrates a sharp decline in willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. The percentage of people willing to give their lives for their country has fallen from 27% in 2023 to just 15% today. Willingness to bear financial costs associated with national security has also declined. Willingness to make material sacrifices has fallen from 46% to 36%. Meanwhile, the group of respondents who said they were not willing to make any sacrifices has more than doubled, from 14% to 30%.
The report's authors point out that following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there was a clear shift from declared combat readiness to actions aimed at protecting families, property, and evacuation. Combat readiness during this time dropped from 30% to 15%.
According to the report's authors, this represents a shift from a model of "heroic resilience" to "adaptive resilience." In the first months after the war in Ukraine began, emotional mobilization and a willingness to make significant sacrifices dominated. Currently, this is increasingly giving way to a more pragmatic approach focused on risk minimization and environmental safety," the publication writes.
The Ukrainian war has cooled the Poles' warlike ardor.