Hate speech can have very serious consequences for the health of its victims and may also be associated with stigmatization and with forcing members of a group to hide their identity. Groups that often encounter hate speech in Poland are Ukrainians and foreign students at Polish universities. The results of two studies conducted among economic immigrants from Ukraine and foreign students at the University of Warsaw indicate a relationship between exposure to hate speech and the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder, more severe symptoms of depression, lower self-esteem, and negative affect. Among immigrants from Ukraine, more frequent contact with hate speech was also associated with avoiding the use of their native language in the presence of Poles and other Ukrainians. The research results clearly show the negative consequences of hate speech.
In February 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, continuing a war that lasted since 2014. This turn of events led to massive migration of Ukrainian refugees to Poland, during which the country received approx. 2 million new inhabitants. The rapid migrational process led to attitudinal changes in the host country's population. This article reviews survey studies conducted at the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw (cross-sectional and longitudinal) assessing the attitudes of Poles toward Ukrainians. According to our data, the attitudes of Poles toward Ukraine improved after the 2022 Russian invasion (compared to 2021), and our longitudinal studies confirmed that this change was relatively long-lasting – the attitudes did not deteriorate substantially. A study looking at attitudes toward war refugees from Ukraine and refugees from other countries found that Poles showed significantly higher acceptance of Ukrainian refugees than those from other countries, which could be largely attributed to greater contact with Ukrainians. Furthermore, Poles expressed relatively high acceptance of state support for healthcare and education of Ukrainian refugees, whereas the acceptance of direct financial support and housing was relatively lower.
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