Most Poles plan to follow WYD events through media – poll

21-07-2016
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Eighty percent of Poles have no plans to attend the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth Day (WYD) event in the south of the country July 26-31, but 68 percent declare they will follow the event through the media, a survey by pollster CBOS shows.

Eighty-one percent of respondents expect WYD to be an important event for Polish society as a whole, while 12 percent disagree, according to the survey.

Seventy-nine percent of those polled believe WYD will prove to be an important event for young people in Poland in general, while 12 percent voiced the opposite view.

Twenty percent said World Youth Day promised to be a „very important” event for them personally, 42 percent say it was „important on the whole,” and 32 percent described it as unimportant.

Four percent of those polled plan to attend a religious service led by Pope Francis during WYD in Poland, and 8 percent declared that a member of their family was planning to attend such a service.

Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed agreed with the view that WYD could help promote Poland internationally, with 85 percent saying the event means prestige for Krakow and Poland as a whole.

At the same time, 69 percent of those surveyed said they were concerned over the possibility of a terrorist attack in Poland during World Youth Day. One in four respondents said no such threat existed, and 8 percent had no opinion on the matter.

Fifty-five percent of respondents believe Polish police and other law enforcement services are well prepared to ensure the security of WYD participants; 13 percent disagree, and 33 percent are undecided.

Forty-six percent believe that World Youth Day generates excessive financial costs when it comes to organising and hosting the event; 26 percent were of the opposite opinion, and 28 percent had no opinion.

The poll was carried out from June 30 to July 7 on a representative random sample of 983 adult respondents.(PAP)

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