A study shows that among the trepidations that Polish people experience, concern about the health of loved ones tops the list, followed in order by extreme weather events, personal health problems and growing worries about war and immigration.

In a periodically conducted survey entitled „Current fears and concerns of Poles”, respondents were asked to identify from a list of 37 potential sources of fear those they think might happen soon. Results show that 43.3 per cent of participants fear a disease affecting a close relative or friend, a decrease from 48.9 per cent six months ago.

Psychologist Michal Murgrabia, co-author of the study, notes:

„The fact that almost half of the respondents indicated this as a concern underlines the importance of the family in Polish society”.

Extreme weather conditions are the second biggest cause for angst, with 41.7% of those questioned worried about experiencing heat waves, hailstorms, heavy rain and floods. This is a significant jump from the previous survey results, where 28.7 per cent expressed concern about harsh winters, snowstorms, hurricanes and floods.

The third most commonly indicated fear was concern over personal health and the loss of personal health, reported by 40.4 per cent of respondents, up from 38.8 percent six months earlier. In fourth place was alarm over inflation and the depreciation of the currency, noted by 37.3 per cent of participants, down slightly from 37.8 per cent.

In fifth place was dread over war and armed conflict within Poland’s borders, with 35.8 per cent expressing this concern, a significant increase from 19.9 per cent in the previous survey.

„The growing distress about war on our own soil is evident. In many instances, this leads to people acting on survival strategies – from stockpiling supplies to attending marksmanship training courses to building bunkers,” said study co-author Michal Pajdak.

Rising anxiety connected to immigration concerns is also present among Poles, with 33.6 per cent expressing it as a worry, up from 25.3 per cent six months ago.