More Poles view President Karol Nawrocki’s performance positively than negatively. According to the latest IBRiS poll, 48.1 percent of respondents approve of his actions. The sharpest differences in opinion are visible between rural residents and inhabitants of large cities, as well as among people with different levels of education.
A year ago, the campaign that had dominated Poland’s public debate for months came to an end. On June 1, 2025, Poles cast their votes in the second round of the presidential election, which pitted Karol Nawrocki, an independent candidate backed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, against Rafał Trzaskowski, the candidate of the Civic Platform (PO).
Although the initial exit poll results indicated a victory for Donald Tusk’s party candidate, the euphoria within his campaign team lasted only about two hours.
Ultimately, Karol Nawrocki emerged victorious with 50.89 percent of the vote. The change in the Presidential Palace was formally sealed when Nawrocki was sworn in as President on August 6 during a session of the Polish Sejm.
One year later: Poles’ verdict on Karol Nawrocki
According to the latest IBRiS survey conducted for Polsat News, nearly one in four respondents (24.9 percent) rated the president’s performance as “definitely good.” Another 23.2 percent selected the answer “rather good.” Combined, this amounts to 48.1 percent positive ratings.
A total of 47.9 percent of respondents expressed a critical view of Karol Nawrocki’s performance. The response “rather bad” was chosen by 23.4 percent, while 24.5 percent selected “definitely bad.”
Undecided respondents accounted for 4 percent of those surveyed.
Oldest voters most supportive
The strongest support for the president was recorded among the oldest respondents. In the group aged over 70, 35.3 percent rated his performance as “definitely good,” while a further 17.8 percent assessed it positively overall.
The results indicate that senior citizens are among the groups most favorable toward the first year of Karol Nawrocki’s presidency.
Clear differences are also visible between rural and urban residents. In rural areas, the president enjoys significantly stronger support than in cities. Overall, 58.5 percent of rural respondents assessed his performance positively, while 38 percent expressed a negative opinion.
This represents one of the highest levels of support recorded in the survey.
A different picture emerges in Poland’s largest cities. In urban centers with populations exceeding 250,000, 61.9 percent of respondents rated the president’s performance negatively, while 33 percent expressed a positive opinion.
Negative assessments also outnumber positive ones in towns with populations of up to 50,000. In this group, 54.5 percent of respondents were critical of the president’s actions, while 40 percent rated them positively.
Education strongly shapes opinions
The survey also points to a clear divide based on respondents’ educational background. Among people with primary or vocational education, positive assessments dominate. In this group, 55.2 percent rated the president’s performance positively, while 42.4 percent viewed it negatively.
The situation is different among respondents with higher education. Here, critical opinions prevail. A total of 60.3 percent gave Karol Nawrocki a negative rating, while 35.1 percent assessed his performance positively.
Women and men assess him similarly
The authors of the survey found no significant differences between women and men. Among male respondents, positive ratings stood at 48.7 percent, compared with 48.2 percent negative ratings. Among women, 47.5 percent assessed the president positively, while 47.6 percent expressed a negative opinion.
The survey was conducted by the IBRiS Market and Social Research Institute on behalf of Polsat News. The poll was carried out between May 29 and June 2, 2026, on a nationwide sample of 1,000 adult Poles. The study used computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) based on standardized questionnaires.