Only one in six Poles knows where the nearest shelter is located — survey

Almost 60% of Poland’s residents do not know where the nearest shelter or refuge is located near their home. Only 15.7% of those surveyed can name such a place precisely. This is evidenced by the results of a United Surveys by IBRiS study for Wirtualna Polska, reports UNN.

Details

In the poll, the results of which were published on October 24, 2026, respondents were asked whether they knew where the nearest shelter or refuge was located near their place of residence.

58.7% of participants answered: "I don’t know." Another 8.4% said that they were not interested in the subject, while 1.3% considered the question too difficult.

"Overall, almost 70 percent of Poles cannot name a single facility where they could seek help in the event of a threat," the post says. 

By contrast, according to the study’s results, 15.7% of respondents know the exact location of the nearest shelter or refuge. Another 15.9% have an approximate idea of where such a place is located.

"This means that only one in six Poles feels fully prepared for a crisis situation. Not many more—15.9%—know about such a place ‘more or less,’" the study says.

The United Surveys by IBRiS study was conducted from October 16 to 18, 2026, on a representative sample of 1,000 people. According to the information available, the results clearly demonstrate that "the issue of security and crisis preparedness must return to news headlines and educational programs."

Reminder

In Ukraine, the rules for access to shelters located in schools and kindergartens have been clarified. From now on, people who are not involved in working at these institutions may take shelter there from shelling only by a separate decision of the local authorities and subject to compliance with the specified safety requirements.