Poland's Emigration Shift: Europeans Favored Over US

A recent CBOS poll commissioned by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna shows Polish citizens are now far less inclined to move permanently to the United States. If forced to emigrate, 42.3 % said they would choose a Western European country, while only 11.7 % selected the United States. Smaller shares preferred East Asia (6.3 %) or other world regions (18.6 %). The survey also highlighted political and occupational differences: 18.6 % of right‑wing respondents favored the US, compared with just 2 % of left‑wing respondents; 35.8 % of farmers expressed interest in moving across the Atlantic.

At the same time, an American woman who lived in Poland for five years, obtained Polish citizenship and posted a TikTok video, announced her return to the United States. She cited low Polish wages, demanding employers and the difficulty of mastering Polish for professional life as primary reasons for leaving. Her remarks underscore broader concerns that both native Poles and foreign residents see Poland’s economic and linguistic environment as less attractive than previously perceived.