Openness or Prejudice?: Students’ Attitudes to Refugees in Poland

Abstract

This paper aims to present a study into student teachers’ and social workers’ attitudes towards refugees in Poland. Based upon survey data, it explores three categories of respondents’ attitudes towards refugees in Poland: ‘positive,’ ‘ambivalent,’ and ‘negative’. Overall, the findings of this study reveal a very worrying trend – almost half of the participants (46%) demonstrated a negative position on accepting refugees into the country, indicating that they believe refugees possess a threat for both society as a whole and their own personal security. This paper concludes that teacher preparation and professional development are essential building blocks in developing more positive attitudes not only towards refugees, but also other minority social groups in Poland.