Yet when people are left to rely solely on themselves, energy can quickly run out. Fatigue may set in\u2014and with it, resentment toward newcomers. Support from national and local authorities can prevent this. This dynamic is highlighted by research conducted by scientists from the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University in collaboration with researchers from the University of Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced many people to seek refuge in Poland. Within just a week of the war\u2019s outbreak, 1.2 million Ukrainians had arrived in the country; over the following month, another 1.3 million joined them. A research team*, coordinated in Poland by Dr. Urszula Markowska-Manista from the Faculty of Education at the University of Warsaw, set out to examine the mechanisms behind the immediate assistance offered to refugees and to trace the origins and evolution of solidarity toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team conducted in-depth interviews with 56 experts and 65 members of local communities operating in the border regions with Ukraine and Belarus, as well as in cities that received the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees \u2013 Warsaw, Krak\u00f3w, and Wroc\u0142aw. Participants shared their experiences of supporting refugees during the first seven months after Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe experts included people responsible for shaping and implementing support policies \u2013 civil servants, institutional staff, and politicians,\u201d explains Dr. Urszula Markowska-Manista. \u201cThose directly involved in helping refugees undertook a wide range of volunteer and logistical activities. They supported communication between refugees and local communities, cooperated with non-governmental organizations and the service sector, and carried out daily support tasks \u2013 from providing information and medical, educational, and psychological assistance to distributing clothing and food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the early days of the war, Ukrainians arriving in Poland relied primarily on the help of ordinary citizens. People opened their homes to refugees, organized food and clothing drives, arranged Polish language classes, and set up playgroups for children. The study shows that this wave of assistance was a powerful expression of solidarity among Poles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Respondents emphasized that their actions stemmed from a sense of closeness to Ukraine \u2013 shaped in part by concerns about Russia\u2019s imperial ambitions. Helping Ukrainians therefore also felt like acting in their own interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another important factor was the presence of a large Ukrainian diaspora in Poland even before the war. Many respondents felt they were helping the relatives and loved ones of people they already knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public perception of the refugees also played a role. Most of those arriving in Poland were women and children, while men \u2013 following orders from the Ukrainian authorities \u2013 remained in Ukraine to fight. This not only made the newcomers appear \u201cworthy\u201d of support but also reinforced a positive image of Ukraine as a courageous nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt that time, the determination to show solidarity with newly arrived Ukrainian refugees seemed almost universal,\u201d notes Dr. Markowska-Manista.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research revealed another important pattern: when grassroots initiatives are not supported by institutions \u2013 and when public institutions and the service sector fail to step in \u2013 initial enthusiasm quickly fades. Fatigue can replace it, sometimes even turning into resentment toward foreigners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the case of aid for Ukraine, this was largely avoided thanks to swift action by state and local authorities, which helped ease the burden on local communities. The government simplified entry procedures for refugees from Ukraine and enabled them to obtain PESEL identification numbers, allowing easier access to employment, medical care, and social benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Polish state also covered education costs by funding remedial and language classes for Ukrainian children. Public universities opened free study opportunities and support programs for Ukrainian researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, as many as 82% of Ukrainian refugees in Poland found employment, which helped facilitate their integration into Polish society. At the same time, individuals who had initially helped refugees on their own no longer felt they had been left to manage the situation alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what does the story of aid to Ukraine reveal about us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe case of Poland offers a unique opportunity to test the hypothesis that the weakening of human solidarity is driven more by failures of governance than by innate xenophobic tendencies,\u201d says Dr. Markowska-Manista.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, while solidarity begins with individual action, institutions play a crucial role. They can either sustain this momentum \u2013 or extinguish it before it fully takes hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What comes next? Public opinion, the scale of aid, the strength of solidarity with refugees \u2013 and its potential decline \u2013 may once again become the focus of research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a CBOS survey from September 2024, just over half of Poles (53%) still support accepting Ukrainian refugees. However, this is the lowest level recorded since the Russian invasion in February 2022. At the same time, opposition to accepting refugees is growing: the autumn 2024 survey found that it had reached 40%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest CBOS poll, conducted between January 9 and 19, 2026, examined Poles\u2019 attitudes toward different nationalities. Italians topped the ranking of the most liked nations (60% of respondents), while Russians were the most disliked (72%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sympathy for neighboring nations \u2013 Slovaks, Lithuanians, Germans, Czechs, and Ukrainians \u2013 has declined. In the case of Ukrainians, it dropped by 10 percentage points compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war continues to occupy public attention. In the CBOS survey \u201cWhat people are talking about,\u201d conducted between February 2 and 5, 2025, respondents were asked which topics had appeared most frequently in conversations in their immediate surroundings during the preceding two weeks. Out of more than twenty topics presented, the most common were inflation and high prices (73% of respondents) and difficulties accessing doctors and medical services (67%). The war in Ukraine (47%) and issues related to refugees from Ukraine (45%) were also frequently mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* The project was led by Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, USA. The Polish research team consisted of Prof. Urszula Markowska-Manista and Dr. Joanna Dobkowska (Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more:<\/strong> Digidiki, V., Bhabha, J., Markowska-Manista, U. & Dobkowska, J. (2024).\u00a0Building Inclusion, Sustaining Solidarity towards migrants in frontline local communities: The case of Poland during the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Boston, USA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
J.Bhabha, V.Digidiki Lucero, U.Markowska-Manista, (2025),\u00a0Solidarity towards distress migrants: how changing frontline communities depend on states to build a new public space<\/em><\/a>\u00a0In: RR. Mar\u00edn, D.E. Tanck, B. Menezes Queiroz & F. Staiano, Handbook on migration and human rights, Edward Elgar Publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n