For the second year in the row Czechs have come in as most liked by Poles. 51% of Poles say it's their favorite foreign nationality, followed by Slovaks (48%), the English (47 percent), Italians (46 percent) and Spaniards (45 percent).
Amongst the most disliked are the Roma (Gypsies), Romanians, with 41 percent, followed by the Russians (39 percent), Turks (35 percent), Jews (34 percent) and Palestinians (33 percent).
The most controversial result is with the Americans with 43% of Poles liking them, with 21% declaring a disliking for them.
To the nations most beloved by the Poles Czechs are - according to a poll by CBOS . Sympathy for the people expressed 51 percent of respondents.
The following places are Slovaks ( 48 percent . ) , English ( 47 percent . ) , Italians ( 46 percent . ) And Hispanic ( 45 percent . ) . The least liked the Roma ( 52 per cent . Declaration aversion ) and Romania ( 41 percent . ) . 39 percent . Poles do not like Russians, 35 percent . Turks, 34 percent . Jews and 33 percent . Palestinians. Relatively most controversy arouse Americans to whom sympathy declares 43 per cent . , And the reluctance of 21 percent . respondents declared more often than the others.
According to CBOS, mostly Poles declare sympathy for those nations that provide them with a positive reference group - determine the level of their ambitions and aspirations , represent the world to which they want to belong and increasingly belong .
nice to see that poles are fed up of the middle east full stop and puts a stop to the claim by some forum members that poland is some sort of pro solidarity palestine country
The most controversial result is with the Americans with 43% of Poles liking them, with 21% declaring a disliking for them.
in 1993 It was over 70%. It would be higher it's just Americans foreign policy offsets this balance. Americans are likable people, they don't have this superiority complex like some other nations. Some are just patriotic.
Very interesting. The English one surprised me a bit. I would guess the reason is because many Poles are in Britain and are more aware of the folks there.
The most controversial result is with the Americans with 43% of Poles liking them, with 21% declaring a disliking for them.
43 is a bit higher than I thought Only 21 is less than I thought.
My uncle is a Canadian! I think that (besides America's foreign policy) people who dislike the US are simply jealous. Of it's size, superpower status, wealth etc.
Americans are likable people, they don't have this superiority complex like some other nations. Some are just patriotic.
I met one the other day who told me that global warming is the agenda of the left...trying to bait me. I don't play U.S. republican political games so the conversation was rather short.
Seriously, dislike for Romanians is by far the most pathetic in this poll, looks like still after so many years many people are stupid enough to think that Romanians=Gypsies.
Honestly, I think more people are disillusioned by the way the US is headed rather than having any dislike for it.
The US had a great start, brilliant progressive ideas and high ideals to which it aspired. Alas, these days that American dream seems very far away and at times it even seems to have turned into the American Nightmare.
Between a greedy and callous power-elite and a culture that almost seems to revel in ignorance things aren't going too well. Add to that the arrogant and ill-considered approach to foreign policy that has been the hallmark of american governments in the last couple of decades.
To give one example - take the bin Laden case. A criminal mastermind is assassinated in a mission based on intel gained through torture... and people are in the streets celebrating this and there are headlines like "Rot in Hell". What about democracy, where's the dignity, the self-scrutiny?
I'm Polish and I don't know anybody who's Czech but my Slovak friends say they are still one nation and Czechoslovakia is still alive. The Slovaks are top on my list (might be because I once fell in love with one and still haven't entirely recovered ;) I also like the Hungarians because they are our brothers and every decent Pole is meant to like them; and the Ukrainians because of their language which is an amazing mixture of Polish and Russian and I can understand almost every word although have never studied it. I like the African people, especially the black ones because of their warmth and some sort of strength that I've never seen in anybody else. I don't really dislike anybody, but I must say although I have a few very good Indian friends, if I was to speak about the nation in general there is something in them that is so foreign to me, some trait that I can't quite grasp or name, that I do not like. And that trait they have in common with the English. As for Americans - the ones I've met were quite loud and maybe a bit overwhelming but generally ok.
Exactly. I have never met a Romanian in Poland, ethnic Romanian. At the time of the fall of communism there were many Romanian Gypsies on the streets begging. Romania has a very large Gypsy population plus many Poles believe this is where they come from thus thinking a Romanian and Gypsy is the same thing. Sheer ignorance.
I also like the Hungarians because they are our brothers and every decent Pole is meant to like them
I`m very glad that you found some brothers,but could I know where such a brothery connection come from?
51% of Poles say it's their favorite foreign nationality, followed by Slovaks (48%), the English (47 percent), Italians (46 percent)
By the way,which countries openly fought in WWII on side of Hitler who intended to eliminated Polies as a nation and sent 2 millions of ethnical Poles in concentration camps to die?..
And which countries cleared Poland from the Nazies and presented them the huge piece of their former land so they would just migrate from canalisation where they dwelled under Nazies in beauty houses just left by the Germans?..
The thing about Hungarians I said half-seriously, Vlad. Nobody seems to know where exactly this brotherhood has come from, but somehow we know it exists ;) And because of it we're supposed to like each other :) It might be that we are surrounded by people who dislike us: Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Russian, German, even those far away from us don't like us - the British, the Dutch etc. But Hungarian people like us. God knows why. So we like them too :) Although in fact I know a few Hungarians and have never noticed anything particular about them that I could find annoying or weird, what could put me off them. So maybe there is some mutual compatibility between Poles and Hungarians, like sometimes when you meet a person and within hours you feel as you've known them your whole life, maybe there is something like that on a national level as well.
Maybe we don't like the English because they are too different from us and we find them strange and we don't like the Russians because they are too similar to us and we see in them our own flaws. But Hungarians seem neither too different, nor too similar, but just right :)
[************************** seems to know where exactly this brotherhood has come from, but somehow we know it exists [/quote] One theory regarding this national fraternity is that the Hungarians, like the Poles, had, in comparison to other European nations, a huge percentage of their populace classified as members of the nobility. So too the Hungarians, like the Poles, granted their nobles far reaching political rights which contrasted greatly with the rest of Europe which tended towards far more autocratic political structures. These similarites may be seen as reflecting similiar national dispositions betwixt Hungarians and Poles thus acounting for the feeling of brotherhood.
Thank you Des Essientes for the explanation. It does make sense. It could also indirectly explain why the fact that Britain is a monarchy gets so badly on my nerves and I just can't, just can't comprehend why the British simply put up with that and don't try to make some decent revolution or something...
Hungarians are indeed from Asia. They arrived in Europe over a thousand years ago. "Bohunk" is an American slang term for Central and Eastern European immigrants that was coined during the late 19th Century when they started arriving in the USA in large numbers. It is compounded from the words "Bohemian" and "Hungarian" but it was used to denote Poles and others too. In a testament to the virility of the Magyar and Slavic peoples this term was eventually shortened to become the word "hunk".
Yep the most famous BoHunk from my neck of the woods is Joe Namath and his family, notably his father.
My father grew up in "Hunky Alley" in New Brighton, PA and it was a tough little neighborhood. Like most old ethnic hard working neighborhoods, the blacks have taken it over now .
Perhaps, Poland's unemployment is once again on the rise, with the GNP dropping to just over 2%. The building sector has been hit worst over a 30% drop compared with the same period last year. So once again many Poles, especially working class, will be looking for work elsewhere.
"Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) introduced The Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act, a bipartisan bill that will enhance the national security benefits of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while expanding the framework to welcome new countries like Poland into the program, and boost the economy.
"Modernizing the Visa Waiver Program will strengthen our national security and enhance international relationships with important allies like Poland, who have been denied visa-free travel because of an outdated regime." said Rep. Quigley. "I hope this bill will move quickly through Congress and to the President's desk, opening the doors for Poland once and for all."
"In Poland last month, Senator Kirk outlined his goal of adding Poland to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)," said a spokesperson for Senator Kirk. "Poland is a strong ally of the United States, plays a critical role in NATO military operations in Europe and the Middle East and its citizens should be afforded the right of visa-free travel to this country. Senator Kirk is eager to work with Sens. Mikulski and Cardin and Reps. Quigley and Chabot on this effort and looks forward to passing this bicameral, bipartisan legislation to include Poland into the VWP."
I visited Prague many years ago and I didn't find Czechs that friendly to Poles. Often I got the impression that some of the Czechs I've met were kind of snobby (we are better than you kind of attitude). I also think they don't like it if you say stuff to them in Polish even in situations where the Polish words are similar to Czech ones and can be understood ( it's better to use English). That was just my observation. I realize some people will disagree.
My Polish husband says that in his experience Poles don't like Czechs. Czechs are seen as cold compared to Poles and a bit odd. Also he says that to him the Czech language sounds like a juvenile or less sophisticated form of Polish.
This may be due to any number of false friends between the two languages which often lead to offensive misunderstandings, e.g. stały vs. staly, zapach vs. zapach, szukac vs. szukat etc....
