From Love to Hate: The Catholic Church in Poland in the Public Opinion

Abstract

Poland is a country that is still considered Catholic. Faced with a series of image problems of the Catholic Church, this opinion is being increasingly revised. People, especially young people, are increasingly turning away from this centuries-old institution in search of their moral principles. The percentage of Catholics in Poland is decreasing. The author of the study decided to find out: (1) What do Poles think of the Catholic Church today?; (2) How do they evaluate the various areas of activity of the Catholic Church in Poland?; (3) Is there a predominant opinion in Polish society about the necessity of separation of state and church?; (4) What political consequences does this have? These questions are answered through desk research analysis of reports by the Public Opinion Research Centre and statistical analysis of the author’s quantitative survey conducted after the 2023 parliamentary elections in Poland. The survey results indicate that various areas of activity of the Catholic Church in Poland are evaluated in different ways. The respondents are most critical of the Church’s influence on political authorities and the problem of solving the issue of paedophilia among the clergy. The results of the survey confirm that Law and Justice voters are the people who have the highest opinion of the Catholic Church in Poland and are closely associated with Christian values.