CBOS: Roma and Ukrainians most 'known' of minorities

When asked to name a minority group residing in Poland, Poles were most likely to name the Roma (40 percent), Ukrainian (34 percent) and German (31 percent) populations, according to a new poll by CBOS. Less than 20 percent identified the Jewish, Belorussian, and Russian minorities, while less than three percent identified Lithuanian, Turkish, or Vietnamese minority groups. The CBOS poll points to the fact that there is no relation between the actual minority group population and its degree of recognizability. For example, the German population, which is the most populous of all minorities in Poland, scored third, while the Roma (with a population less than the Ukrainian and Belorussian populations) was the named most frequently. Almost 80 percent of respondents believe that minorities should have the opportunity to learn their own language in Polish schools, while 43 percent support government funding for initiatives that support minority cultures and traditions. The poll was conducted on June 11-17, 2015 on a sample of 1,011 citizens selected at random.