Poll shows 67.2% of Poles support PiS plan to deport jobless Ukrainian men of conscription age

PiS proposal

At a program convention in Warsaw on August 6, 2026, held under the slogan "Ku nowemu rządowi" (Toward a New Government), PiS vice-president and MEP Tobiasz Bocheński announced that if the party wins the 2027 parliamentary elections, one of the first government decisions would be the deportation of Ukrainian men of conscription age who do not work legally in Poland. Ukraine's conscription age runs from 25 to 60 years. Bocheński also announced a project called "Nielegalny Alert," under which two administrative violations would trigger an automatic deportation process.

So that Central and Eastern Europe is safe and free, Ukraine must win. Therefore, one of the first, more important decisions of the government will be the decision to deport men, Ukrainians of conscription age, who do not work legally in Poland.

Poll results

An IBRiS poll conducted on August 7 and 8, 2026, on a sample of over 1,000 respondents for Rzeczpospolita, found 67.2% of Poles in favor of deporting Ukrainian men of conscription age without legal employment. Of supporters, 43.8% said "definitely yes" and 23.4% said "rather yes." On the opposing side, 11.2% said "definitely no" and 12.2% "rather no," totaling 23.4% against. A further 9.4% had no opinion.

Support rose with age, from 43% among respondents aged 18 to 29 to 80% among those in their fifties. Women backed the proposal more than men (73% versus 61%). Among those with primary or vocational education, 98% supported it, while among university graduates the split was 43% for and 42% against, with 15% expressing no opinion. Religious respondents supported the proposal more often than non-religious respondents.

Political breakdown

Support was highest among PiS voters at 89%, followed by Third Way voters at 71%, Konfederacja at 58%, and Koalicja Obywatelska at 53%. Only among Nowa Lewica voters did opposition dominate, with 87% against the proposal. Grouped by bloc, 78.2% of opposition voters supported it versus 11.7% against, while 52.3% of governing coalition voters backed it against 39.1% opposed. Among undecided and non-voting respondents, 60.6% were in favor and 20% against.

Government response

MSWiA spokesperson Karolina Gałecka dismissed the proposal in comments to PAP. She cited ZUS data showing that 95% of Ukrainian men of conscription age work legally in Poland and pay taxes, contributing to economic growth. She noted that those who break the law are already being deported by the Border Guard, with approximately 3,000 foreigners deported in 2023 and around 10,000 people of various nationalities deported in 2025 alone.

These assumptions are pure absurd and populism. According to ZUS data, 95% of Ukrainian men of conscription age work legally in Poland and normally pay taxes, contributing in this way to the economic growth of our country.

Deputy interior minister Maciej Duszczyk told TOK FM that a re-verification of Ukrainian citizens in Poland is underway, with the most realistic estimate at 1.8 to 1.9 million people. He said the employment activity rate exceeds 65% for war refugees alone, over 80% including those who arrived before the war, and approximately 95% when working students are added. Full verification is expected by March 2027.

Broader political context

Rzeczpospolita noted that deputy prime minister and defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz responded favorably to the question of young Ukrainians returning to their homeland. Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski appealed at a European forum for ending social benefits for conscription-age Ukrainians staying in EU member states.