Detroit — Americans of Polish descent and Polish immigrants in the United States are overwhelmingly Catholic and pro-life when it comes to abortion, and less likely than most Americans to support the death penalty.

These are some of the findings of the Modern Polonia Survey, the most comprehensive survey ever made of American Polonia, as the Polish diaspora in the United States is called.

The findings are detailed in “Polish Americans Today,” published by the Hamtramck-based Piast Institute. Highlights of the survey, conducted and compiled by Thaddeus Radzilowski, Ph.D., and Dominik Secula of the institute, were presented by Radzilowski Dec. 1 at the Michigan State University Extension Center in Detroit.

Nearly four-fifths (77.6 percent) of Polish Americans identify themselves as Roman Catholic, according to the survey. That is less than the 89.8 percent who identify as Catholics in Poland, but more than three times the percentage of Catholics in the general U.S. population (24.5 percent).

Another 2.2 percent belong to the Polish National Catholic Church, a small denomination that resulted from some mostly cultural controversies among Polish Catholics in America in the late 19th century.

The percentages identifying themselves as Protestants — whether “mainline” or evangelical — were negligible.

The portion of Polish Americans indicating no religious preference (11.4 percent) was less than the general U.S. population (14.2 percent), but more than the percentage of Poles in their homeland (8.3 percent).

Radzilowski noted, however, that if only Polish immigrants are considered, the proportion claiming no religious preference (15.6 percent) is about double the figure for Poland.

“In general, the Polish-born population in America is more liberal than the rest of Polonia, except on a couple of issues, such as their views on Russia,” he said.

The discrepancy in the recent immigrants’ views from most of their countrymen back home might be accounted for by the fact that they are disproportionately young, from urban areas, and university graduates, he speculated.

On abortion, 51.2 percent said it should be legal only under certain circumstances and 20.8 percent illegal in all circumstances.

But the percentage answering that abortion should be “legal under any circumstances” (28 percent) was actually several points above the percentage among the general population.

In Poland, by contrast, only about 10 percent support unrestricted legal abortion, though the difference mainly goes to the “legal under certain circumstances” category, the always illegal option only chosen by 11 percent.

A stark contrast is shown on the question of the death penalty for murder, which draws favorable nods from more than 60 percent of the general population in both the U.S. and Poland, but only 42.8 percent of Polish Americans.

Not surprisingly, the percentage opposed is higher (36.8 percent) than in the general U.S. population or in Poland (about 30 percent in both cases). But the biggest difference comes in the percentage who said they were unsure — 20.3 percent of Polish Americans versus only about 4 percent of Americans generally or Poles in Poland.

“This may be a reflection of the impact of the teachings of Pope John Paul II on capital punishment, which received much more attention among American Catholics than in Poland where the issue isn’t even debated,” Radzilowski remarked.

Polish Americans are only a third as likely to think of Russia as “more of an ally” (8.5 percent versus nearly 30 percent). But it is not that they are convinced today’s Russia is “more of an adversary” (which option they chose at about the same rate  — nearly 50 percent —as the general population),as it is that they opted for “both/neither (33.7 percent), a response given by less than l0 percent of Americans in general.

“I think it reflects an attitude that you have to watch the Russians closely, but not outright hostility,” Radzilowski commented.

Asked if they favor or oppose establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza strip, 63.8 percent declared in favor, with only 11.1 percent opposed. Americans in general just barely tip the scales in favor of an independent state, with nearly 30 percent opposed.

Given that response on Palestinian statehood, it is perhaps not surprising that Polish Americans are less likely than Americans in general to say their sympathies are more with the Israelis (23.1 percent versus nearly 60 percent) in the Middle East situation. But the percentage who declare themselves to be for the Palestinians is about the same as the general populace.

As to political affiliation, Democrat (36.5 percent) trumped Republican (26.1 percent), but fully 33.2 percent declared themselves independent and 4.2 percent identified with minor parties.

When asked about political ideology, however, 43.6 percent described themselves as conservatives, while 33.2 percent said liberal and 23.1 percent claimed moderate or centrist.

Survey respondents were mostly married (60.3 percent), with 23.7 percent single and 9.2 percent divorced. Only 4 percent were widowed, and only 2.7 percent living with a domestic partner.

The survey also contains data on income, educational attainment, home ownership and other matters.

---

For more information or to purchase a copy of “Polish Americans Today,” contact Virginia Skrzyniarz of the Piast Institute, (313) 733-4535 or at [email protected].