A growing number of Poles are rejecting the idea of ditching their national currency, the zloty, in favor of the euro, a new survey has revealed. Conducted by the Ariadna polling agency for the Warsaw Enterprise Institute (WEI), the study found that 74% of respondents opposed joining the eurozone, with only 26% in favor.
That marks a decline in support from the 31% recorded in a Eurobarometer survey just two months earlier.
A major sticking point? Nearly half of those surveyed (49%) saw zero benefits in adopting the euro. When asked about the potential downsides, 51% feared rising prices and a lower standard of living, while 26% lamented the idea of losing Poland’s independent currency.
Despite the EU’s insistence that Poland is obligated—at some undefined point—to transition to the euro, the public remains unconvinced. Among those surveyed, the top potential benefits cited included eliminating currency exchange risks (22%), simplifying international business transactions (18%), and increasing economic stability (13%). But these perks failed to sway the majority.
As expected, political allegiances played a significant role in shaping opinions. Among supporters of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU Civic Coalition party, 52% backed adopting the euro. Meanwhile, among voters of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, opposition was nearly universal, with only 8% in favor of the change.
The WEI highlighted that Poland’s eurozone membership has always been a divisive topic. While EU accession came with an eventual commitment to adopt the euro, successive Polish governments have stalled the process, aware that public sentiment remains overwhelmingly against it. And why wouldn’t it? With economic uncertainty across Europe, sky-high inflation, and growing geopolitical tensions, Poles seem increasingly unwilling to sacrifice financial sovereignty to appease Brussels
