On Sept. 1, the anniversary of the start of World War II, a detailed report was presented by Poland as the basis of a claim for $1.3 trillion worth of reparations from Germany. It was announced that the Polish government would now pursue this claim through diplomatic efforts. Germany has claimed that Poland waived its rights to reparations in 1953.
Polish daily Rzeczpospolita commissioned SW Research to ask Poles to assess the chances of securing the reparations claim from Germany. The results of the research suggest that Poles are highly pessimistic about the chances of securing any pecuniary damages from the Germans.
Only 12 percent of respondents believed that the government would be successful in its endeavour, while two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) were of the opposite opinion. The pessimistic view was most evident among the young and highly educated.
Another poll, commissioned by the portal DoRzeczy.pl from the Estymator research agency, asked respondents whether Poland should make a claim against Germany for the damages suffered by Poland in the World War II. Just over 50 percent said it should and 43 percent that it should not.
