Poland — Surveys with Refugees from Ukraine: Needs, Intentions, and Integration Challenges in Poland (April - June 2023)

Since 24 February 2022, refugees from Ukraine and Third Country Nationals (TCNs) have been fleeing to neighbouring countries as a result of the war. As June 2023, more than twelvet million refugees from Ukraine were recorded at various border crossings entering Poland and ten million had crossed back since February 2022. IOM has deployed its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) tools since mid-April 2022 to collect individual surveys in neighbouring countries with persons crossing into, as well as those residing in Poland. With the aim to improve the understanding of main profiles, displacement patterns, intentions and needs of those moving into or residing in Poland. This report is based on surveys collected in Poland between 01 April and 30 June 2023 in various voivodeships, such as Podkarpackie, Lubelskie, Pomorskie, Malopolskie and Mazowieckie.

Key Findings

• Demographics of respondents: 94% of respondents were female. Among male respondents, 60% were over the age of 60 years. • Length of stay: 34% of respondents stayed in Poland for less than a month at the time of the survey. 50% of respondents arrived in Poland in the first months after February 2022.

• Top oblasts of origin of respondents who arrived in Poland within one month of the survey: Kyiv (15%), Lvivska (13%), Dnipropterovska (11%), Kharkivska (9%).

• Employment status: 36% of respondents were employed at the time of survey (28% in Q1)*, 5% were unemployed and not looking for a job (18% in Q1), and 18% were unemployed and looking for a job (17% in Q1).

• Legal status: 63% of Ukrainians surveyed had applied for EU temporary protection status or refugee status. The main reasons for not applying were that respondents planned to leave (19%), planned to apply soon (12%), did not know how to apply (2%) or were not eligible (1%).

• Top four needs reported at the moment of the interview: cash support (17%), medical needs (12%), job placement (12%) and housing (11%).**

• Travel mode: 63% of respondents travelled in a group. 9% of those, travelling in a group, reported having at least one child and elderly person in their household.**

*(Quarter 1 (January - March 2023)

**More than one answer possible