Nearly three in four Poles fear that Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union will have a detrimental effect on Poland, according to a survey.
But the study by pollster CBOS shows that less than a half of the respondents are concerned with Britons’ decision to leave the European fold in a referendum carried out in June.
Forty-two percent of those surveyed declared they were indifferent to the outcome, while five percent said they approved of the decision.
Fears of a post-Brexit fallout for Poland are most prevalent among the best educated Poles, as 61 percent of the respondents with a higher education said they subscribe to such a view.
In a referendum held on 23 June, 51.9 percent of UK citizens voted to leave the EU while 48.1 percent voted to stay, a result that dealt a blow to the European Union and caused turmoil on global markets.
The vote has also sparked fears among some Polish experts and policymakers that Brexit could lead to a growing division within the European Union into a rich euroland group and poorer countries on the periphery of the bloc which, for various reasons, are not ready for further integration.