Most Poles would not volunteer to defend the country in case of war, poll finds
Ibris poll for Radio Zet shows 27% willing to join defence while 58.1% would refuse; women are far less likely to say yes.
A new Ibris survey commissioned by Radio Zet finds that a clear majority of Poles would not volunteer to defend the country if faced with a threat of war. Respondents answered the direct question: "Would you volunteer to defend the country in case of a threat of war?"
The institute published the detailed responses as follows: Absolutely yes – 11.7 percent, Probably yes – 15.3 percent, Probably not – 34.7 percent, Certainly not – 23.4 percent, and Don't know / Hard to say – 14.9 percent. Taken together, 27 percent of respondents said they would be prepared to take part in the country's defence, while 58.1 percent said they would not.
Gender differences and willingness to stay
The survey shows a sharp gender gap. Among men, 42 percent said they would be willing to defend Poland and 44 percent replied negatively. Among women, just 14 percent answered "yes" while 71 percent said "no." The poll also notes that a high share of respondents would remain in Poland in the event of a war.
Political and security commentators say such public attitudes could complicate any large-scale mobilisation effort, especially if voluntary recruitment is relied upon. Low readiness among broad segments of the population would raise questions about reserve mobilization and civil defence planning.
The Ibris research was carried out for Radio Zet and the institute released the full breakdown of answers together with the headline figures cited above.
Photo: EPA-EFE/TOMS KALNINS
