The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a report titled „Being Black and the EU – Experiences of People of African Descent.” The report found that almost half of respondents of African descent felt discriminated against on one or more grounds in the 5 years preceding the survey, and more than a third did so in the year before the survey. There were substantial variations in the overall prevalence of discrimination across countries. The highest levels of discrimination on any ground in both periods were in Austria (67% in the 12 months before the survey and 76% in the 5 years before the survey), Germany (65% and 77%), Finland (57% and 66%), and Denmark (47% and 61%). Respondents in Portugal, Poland, and Sweden experienced the lowest levels of discrimination on any ground in both periods.
These studies confirm the fact that racism is a myth in Poland. Although there are racists in Poland, the actual real-world phenomenon must be considered in context and compared to the situation in other countries and societies. Poland is much freer from racism (and its consequences) than its neighbour, Germany, and most other Western countries. This is not necessarily due to the moral superiority of Poles, but it certainly has historical justification. As a nation, Poland had nothing to do with African slavery, involvement in the slave trade, or colonies where they would be „sahibs” with a sense of racial superiority.
The research also revealed that there are colossal differences in the treatment of Black residents in these countries versus the general population. In Austria, 27% of the total population feels „discriminated against” for various reasons, but as many as 67% of Blacks do. In Germany, 16% and 65% of Blacks do, and in Finland 16% and 57%. However, in Poland, 13% and 19% of respondents of African descent are aware of a specialised support organisation. In the remaining eleven EU countries, awareness levels are lower, ranging from 19% in Spain to 37% in Austria.
A study examining the impact of racial discrimination on trust in public institutions, particularly the police, found that African descent respondents who had experienced racial discrimination in the last five years had significantly lower levels of trust in the police. Poland was the notable exception, with trust in the police among Black people as high as 7.1 and a decrease in trust by only 0.1 point after experience with the police. The Polish police do excellent work in this aspect, receiving drastically lower ratings in all other countries.
The research also revealed that Black people in Poland rarely face discrimination and in some aspects, their situation is better than that of the general population. For example, in Portugal, Poland, and Spain, the proportion of those reporting very good or good health is higher among people of African descent than among the general population. In no other European country, only in Poland, do people with African roots have better housing and living conditions than the statistical majority of citizens.
On average, 17% of respondents of African descent live in dwellings with a leaking roof, mold or damp walls, floors or foundations, or rot in window frames or floors. Such bad housing conditions are particularly prevalent among people of African descent in Portugal and are less prevalent in Sweden (3%) and Poland (1%). Only one percent of Blacks in Poland complain about poor housing conditions, compared to six times as many in the general population.
Working conditions in Poland are also excellent for Black African workers, with no recognisable discrimination. Most respondents of African descent are in paid work (71%), similar to the employment rate for the general population (73%). The highest proportion of employed respondents of African descent with temporary contracts is in Spain (45%), which also displays the biggest differences between the general population and people of African descent (27%).
Poland attracts the best individuals, and the best individuals are treated best. Research has shown that what attracts them in Poland is primarily higher education or employment; they are usually professionally ambitious people whose goal is personal development.
The popular stereotype of Poland as a country where racism exists more than in other European countries, where discrimination prevails and Blacks are persecuted, has been destroyed. The future of research on these findings depends on Polish migration policies, which decide who will arrive, on what terms, and why.