Poll finds Polish public split over border alerts as 35.2% give negative rating

Division over emergency alerts

A nationwide survey conducted by SW Research for Onet on 29 and 30 September 2026 shows Polish citizens evenly split in their assessment of the Government Centre for Security (RCB). When asked to evaluate the operation of RCB alerts in the context of recent incidents near the eastern border, 35.2% of respondents rated the system poorly, while 34.8% rated it well. Another 30.0% of respondents expressed no opinion on the matter. The research was conducted using computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) on a representative sample of 800 Polish adults, balanced for gender, age, and locality size. The text notifications have reached residents in eastern Poland with increasing frequency as Russian forces conduct military strikes against targets in western Ukraine near the border.

Demographic splits in public perception

Survey data reveals distinct divisions across demographic groups, particularly by age and gender. Young adults aged 25 to 34 showed the highest level of criticism, with 49.4% rating the alert system poorly, 25.3% rating it well, and 25.4% holding no opinion. In contrast, respondents aged 50 and older viewed the alerts more positively, with 38.3% rating them well and 27.3% expressing a negative opinion. Gender differences also emerged in the findings. Among women, 34.5% viewed the alert system negatively, 31.7% viewed it positively, and 33.9% expressed no opinion. Among men, 38.1% held a favourable view, while 35.9% recorded a negative assessment.

Operational dilemmas in healthcare

The frequency of warning messages has created practical difficulties for healthcare professionals running independent practices. Medical practitioners in eastern regions reported uncertainty regarding proper workplace protocol upon receiving government warnings of imminent aerial danger. Dr Tomasz Zieliński, a family physician and president of the Lublin Union of Family Doctors-Employers, described facing this dilemma during an alert sent on a Monday. He noted that staff lacked clear instructions on whether to stop medical consultations, discharge patients, or direct them toward protective facilities.

I did not know what to do. Interrupt work and send patients home, or lead patients to a shelter. Only where is the shelter?

Following the incident, Zieliński submitted formal inquiries to the Lublin Voivodeship Office seeking explicit instructions for local medical clinics during air threat alerts.

Air operations and civil defense instructions

Government representatives maintain that warning messages should not be disregarded despite concerns that high alert frequency could cause public desensitization. Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk from the Civic Coalition explained the distinction between text warnings and active sirens during public statements in September. He emphasized that residents must take direct protective action when sirens indicate an active aerial threat.

However, if sirens are sounding, if it is a bomb alarm and an aerial threat, in such a situation everyone should go to a safe place. That is a garage, a cellar, but it is also a place in your own apartment that has no windows, so that we do not expose ourselves to possible shrapnel.

Emergency protocols were engaged on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, when the RCB distributed an air threat notification around 9:30 AM across Lublin Voivodeship, covering counties including Lublin, Chełm, Zamość, and Biała Podlaska. The RCB formally cancelled the alert before 11:00 AM after confirming that Russian strikes on Ukraine had concluded without any violation of Polish airspace. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces confirmed that Polish military aircraft concluded preventive sorties, marking the second time Polish aviation operated defensively in domestic airspace that day.