Environmental Awareness in Polish Society with Respect to Natural Resources and Their Protection ( Overview of Survey Research )

The article comprises an analysis of public opinion surveys concerning the environmental awareness in Polish society concerning natural resources and their protection, which issue has not been presented to date comprehensively in the literature on the subject. To this end, i.e. to present the degree of this awareness, the results of opinion surveys on the following topics have been presented and analysed: environmental protection as a social problem and the sources of knowledge on this subject, climate change, natural resources as sources of energy, attitude to the nuclear power plant construction, and air quality. The study has been based on representative surveys carried out by public opinion polling centres. The above-mentioned analysis has been preceded by terminological findings on such terms as “environmental security”, “natural resources”, “environmental awareness” and “public opinion”, with a proposal for a new definition of environmental awareness, referring to elements of legal awareness. It has been assumed that the knowledge of the degree of public awareness is useful in designing legal solutions conducive to environmentally sound behaviour and in taking decisions on a gradual increase in the extent to which public participation in natural resource management is allowed. The research hypothesis that awareness of natural resources among the Polish population is not optimal but is gradually increasing was confirmed. It has been pointed out that legal measures to promote environmental measures need to be complemented and strengthened by instructional and educational measures.


INTRODUCTION
The study discusses the ecological awareness in Polish society with regard to natural resources and their conservation. Due to the broadness of the subject, the deliberations were limited to selected issues considered particularly relevant. To determine the degree of awareness, it was necessary to analyse the results of the opinion surveys which have addressed the subject in question. First, we had to identify the ways of understanding such key terms as "environmental awareness", "natural resources", "environmental security" and "public opinion".
An important assumption for this study is that the identification of the degree of environmental awareness can be an important element to be taken into account when designing legal solutions concerning this issue. A low level of environmental awareness would require stronger stress through law on conservation measures aimed at protecting natural resources, regardless of educational activities in this area. Following Petrażycki's thought, the formation of habits of proper conduct and implementation of the educational effect of law would allow the pressure of law to gradually decrease. 1 Undertaking research into environmental awareness of natural resources is also of particular importance in view of the relationship between the degree of ecological awareness concerning natural resources and the degree to which the public is allowed to manage those resources. The literature on the subject notes that natural resources should be viewed as a public good. 2 This high position to be enjoyed by issues relating to natural resources runs counter to the low priority that has been given to the issue of the management of natural resources in public debate. 3 It is proposed to develop specific regulations to define the manner of social participation in the process of managing natural resources in the face of new global challenges related to "the shrinking of natural resources, their deterioration in quality and their growing importance for the functioning of the modern economy". 4 Action should be taken to promote a culture of "sustainability, i.e. the sustainable use of natural resources by Poles". 5 In the context of the need for greater involvement of citizens in the process of managing natural resources, an important link appears between the 359 state of environmental awareness of society and allowing these citizens to manage them: a high degree of environmental awareness would constitute a good basis and an argument for entrusting their management to wider groups of society. 6 As a research hypothesis, it was assumed that the degree of environmental awareness in the Polish society in the field of natural resources is not yet optimal, although it has been gradually increasing in recent years.

RESEARCH METHODS
The research methods used in this study are the analysis of the literature on the subject and public opinion surveys. One should agree with the statement that data from surveys should be interpreted cautiously: as a manifestation of the opinion climate rather than as a direct indication of how people actually think and act. 7 The above is particularly visible in relation to the issues discussed, since declarations of the need to act for the benefit of environmental protection, especially in the individual dimension, often contradict real attitudes when confronted with, for example, the necessity to incur greater costs or suffer certain inconveniences not translated into financial considerations.
The article presents the most important results of selected, most recent studies on environmental awareness of the Polish society with respect to natural resources, while older studies were only served for comparative purposes. It should be stressed that the most valuable surveys are those carried out on a regular basis, allowing monitoring of the ongoing changes. 8 ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY, NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, PUBLIC OPINION As far as terminological matters are concerned, the starting point for the considerations is the concept of environmental security closely related to its subject and, what is particularly important, placing it in the legal perspective. There are 360 many definitions of environmental security in the literature. 9 This is mainly due to different perspectives on this concept, e.g. economic, legal or political. 10 For the issues discussed herein, however, the definition proposed by K. Rogers, who defines environmental security as the creation of conditions in which the physical environment of society meets the needs of the population without depleting natural resources, may be particularly useful. 11 A significant factor in discussing the concept of environmental security is the fact that it has a normative character. It is contained in Article 74 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997, 12 in chapter two, in the part on economic, social and cultural freedoms and rights. It appears in the context of the principles of state policy, since, according to its wording, public authorities pursue a policy ensuring environmental security for present and future generations (Article 74 para. 1). According to L. Garlicki, this type of state policy (apart from environmental protection and support of civic activities in this field) complements the citizens' right to information on the state and protection of the environment. 13 The provision of Article 74 para. 1 is of a programmatic nature, i.e. it is addressed to state authorities and contains targeted directives. 14 The enforcement of norms derived from such provisions does not take the same form as e.g. personal rights, i.e. through judicial proceedings 15 .
Moving on to the concept of natural resources, it should be pointed out that in encyclopedic terms they are an economic category covering both organic (plants, animals, ecosystems) and inorganic objects (atmosphere, waters, minerals), used by 9 See the discussion on various approaches to environmental security: P. Korzeniowski humans in the production and consumption processes. 16 They are both renewable and non-renewable. Due to the existence of closed cycles of matter: oxygen, water, nitrogen, the first ones include, e.g., water, atmosphere, wood, fish resources, while non-renewable natural resources are primarily energy resources (fossil fuels) and minerals. 17 Natural resources, combined with the national assets (anthropogenic resources), are part of the national wealth, 18 and their excessive exploitation becomes an ecological barrier to development. 19 The literature on the subject points to the ambiguity and multidimensional nature of the term "environmental awareness". 20 This is due to the multiplicity of disciplines that deal with environmental awareness and the fact that the concept includes both the elements of social sciences (relating to "awareness") and natural sciences (relating to the "environmental" issues). 21 Environmental awareness covers the problems of ecology -a science, according to the etymology of this concept, about habitats of organisms (from the Greek words oikos, which means home, place of living, and logos -science), and more about the "relationship of organisms to the external environment, but also the relationship between man or human societies and nature". 22 The literature on the subject proposes many definitions of environmental awareness. According to T. Burger, environmental awareness is "a set of information and beliefs about the natural environment and the perception of the relationship between the state and character of the natural environment and the conditions and quality of human life". 23 It is a definition that approaches ecological awareness from an axiological and normative perspective, where the emphasis is on the system of values and moral norms and attitudes towards nature, 24  descriptive and technical perspective encompassing "the entirety of knowledge about phenomena and processes occurring in ecosystems and the ecological imagination that it constitutes a specific disposition (ability) to predict the consequences of actions undertaken". 25 Environmental awareness is related not only to social awareness but also to the awareness of the individual. 26 The literature on the subject presents both a narrower and a broader understanding of it, 27 with the advantages and disadvantages of both these perspectives being noted. 28 It should be mentioned that definitions of environmental awareness appear not only in the literature on the subject, but also are devised for the purposes of conducting specific empirical studies. 29 The definitions developed by scholarly opinion are used as a starting point for deriving more general conclusions from studies carried out over a given period of time. 30 It seems that we may assume herein an approach to environmental awareness (as an analogy to the understanding of legal awareness) which implies the presence of elements such as knowledge, assessment, attitudes and possible environmental postulates in the human mind. This understanding of environmental awareness (through its constituent elements) is close to the three main spheres of ecological awareness as distinguished by W. Mirowski: 1) information, i.e. the state of knowledge about nature and environmental hazards; 2) assessments, entailing emotional engagement; and 3) attitudes on which the motivation to act depends. 31 A growingly important role in the concept of environmental awareness is played by the third element, namely the attitudes towards environmental problems, consisting of three components: 1) the cognitive component -knowledge of the subject of 25 L. Domka,op. cit.,p. 86. 26  attitude; 2) the emotional (emotional and evaluative) one; and 3) the behavioural one, consisting of a permanent inclination to a certain behaviour towards the object of the attitude. 32 It is noted that studies of environmental attitudes focus more on their emotional and cognitive aspects than on behavioural one. This is so because declared attitudes do not always take this form in fact. It is even stated that "The greater the risk of divergence, the greater the official consensus about the norms of behaviour and opinions on the subject covered by the survey". 33 The three main attitudes distinguished by T. Burger should be noted: pro-environmental, environmentally indifferent and anti-environmental. 34 However, it is also worth pointing to the role of the postulates towards environmental problems, although as a rule, they only appear when the other components of environmental awareness are of a higher degree than average. Then, based on a certain knowledge of ecology, assessments of the pro-environmental solutions adopted (or an assessment of their absence) and attitudes, the postulates on how the environment should be protected are defined. Environmental awareness has been the subject of empirical research (and scientific reflection) as a result of the attention paid to environmental degradation and deterioration of living conditions as a consequence of social behaviour which undermines the values important for opinion-forming groups and social institutions. 35 It is possible to monitor the state of environmental awareness of Polish society through an analysis of the results of public opinion surveys. There is no consensus among researchers about the content of the term "public opinion", hence the literature on the subject proposes as many as fifty definitions. There is no dispute that the important role in creating public opinion is played by the fact that a particular community, or more specifically a social group, differs in terms of opinion from another group and that these are at least two groups. However, there are many more contentious issues, such as whether the concept of public opinion should be considered the sum of individual opinions, or rather as a product of interaction, communication and mutual influence. 36 Regardless of existing disputes, it may be assumed for the purposes of the deliberations undertaken herein that "the public opinion of a given community is a set of prevailing opinions on public matters of importance to this community at a given moment". 37 The first surveys focusing entirely on environmental awareness in Poland began in the early 1980s and broadened their research field in the subsequent years. 38 The entities involved in the surveys included, in particular, the following: Institute for Sustainable Development (Pol. Instytut na rzecz Ekorozwoju), Ministry of the Environment (currently Ministry of Climate and Environment), environmental organisations, Centre for Social Opinion Research (Pol. Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej) (besides commissioned surveys it also conducts its own independent cyclic research). 39 There were also fragmentary surveys profiled as requested by the ordering party. 40 In general, one can find in the literature on the subject diverse opinions on the assessment of the degree of ecological awareness of Poles. On the one hand, the environmental awareness is growing, and the group of people showing the attitude of so-called environmental indifference is shrinking while there is an increase in the number of pro-environmentalists, 41 with the attitudes becoming emotionally toned. 42 This increase can be seen, among other things, in the everyday practice of consumer purchasing preferences, where ecological criteria are taken into account in purchasing decisions. 43 However, there is still a large discrepancy between de- 38 44 On the other hand, however, one can encounter a different view, according to which the degree of environmental awareness is low, and this concerns not only ordinary people or businesses 45 but also, which is very important, decision-makers, hence, for example, the high energy intensity of the economy, which is largely based on coal. 46 It seems that the reason for such divergent opinions is that environmental awareness can vary depending on the specific issues being studied. 47

Environment protection as a social problem and the sources of knowledge about this issue
In public opinion polls, questions on environmental awareness of natural resources usually appear not alone, but as an element of broader research on environmental issues. The use of natural resources brings with it specific consequences for the environment, often negative ones. Increasingly, environmental protection is perceived by respondents as one of the most important problems our country is facing. In the 2020 survey, environmental protection was even ranked first among the areas with the most problems to solve (52%). It was followed by health care (48%) and the economy and economic development (20%) in third place. 48 If compare the above results to those of 2014, a significant difference may be noticed. In 2014, environmental protection was only ranked twelfth (8%). Health care (59%) and solving problems related to labour and social and family policy (53%) were then considered most important. 49 It turns out that 6 years ago, according to 44 A. Majchrowska,op. cit.,p. 30. 45 The research conducted in 2016 among entrepreneurs from the region of Małopolska with surveys, subsequently analysed statistically, showed a relatively low degree of environmental awareness of small and medium-sized enterprises. See D.K. Zuzek Pobrane z czasopisma Studia Iuridica Lublinensia http://studiaiuridica.umcs.pl Data: 02/09/2021 20:16:59 U M C S respondents, environmental protection was an area which "traditionally" was not among those causing most problems. Only sport and culture and national heritage used to be mentioned less often. 50 The prominence of environmental protection is significant, although at the same time it should be noted that the difference in percentage points compared to health care is not significant, and moreover, these are closely related problems. After all, a good condition of the environment, especially air quality, significantly affects the health of society.
It is characteristic that Poles are more concerned about the condition of the environment generally in Poland and abroad than locally where they live. In the survey of 2020, respondents assessed better the current state of the environment in the area where they live (65% of positive responses) than in Poland as a whole (44% of positive assessments). 51 Similar results were recorded in surveys from previous years. In 2014, the condition of the environment in their local area was positively assessed by 73%, while for the whole country by 63% of respondents. 52 More significant differences in the assessment of the state of the environment can be seen in the results of the survey of 2016, when respondents did not express serious concern about its condition in the place where they live (75% little concern or not concerned at all), but were more concerned about the condition of the environment in Poland as a whole (41% concerned and 47% expressed little concern) and even more concerned about its condition in the world (71% concerned). 53 The above leads to the conclusion that "the more distant the threats are, the greater they seem to the respondents". 54 Thus, the public looks at environmental issues from the global point of view differently than from a local one.
As regards the reasons why the environment is worth protecting, recent surveys show that the reason is primarily a concern for future generations. The survey of 2020 was the first time that such a high score has been obtained of all editions of the research (73% of respondents) and this reason was ranked the first. The second reason indicated was care for human health (63%), while nature as a value in itself achieved 49%, which is also the highest score among all the editions of the survey. Economy and economic considerations were indicated by one in ten respondents (10%). 55 50 Ibidem. In the survey of 2018, the first area was health care (55% It is worth looking here at the sources from which Poles usually learn about environmental issues. The survey of 2020 states that Polish residents learn about environmental issues generally from the Internet (73%), television (65%), the press (27%), and radio (27%). 56 Television has ceased to be the first and basic source of information on this subject, as was apparent from the surveys of the early 1990s (97%) 57 and later -in the 2014 and 2018 surveys, television was specified by 76% and 75% of respondents respectively. 58

Climate change and global warming as an event of the year
It is the mass media that bring information about what is happening home and abroad, but the degree of interest and internalisation of the content presented there is not high in Polish society. In public opinion polls containing questions about the most important events in Poland and in the world, respondents generally have problems with the answer, especially in relation to the global scale. The above also applies to the results of the survey regarding the year 2019. It was difficult for the respondents to indicate what fact deserves to be called the "event of the year" in international politics, which was evidenced by the fact that over 60% of respondents did not remember any issue. However, people who had an opinion on this subject indicated in the first place disasters related to climate change and global warming (6.5%) and the awakening of environmental sensitivity, awareness of these changes and attempts to take collective action to stop further degradation of the natural environment (6.3%). In this context, international conferences and initiatives taken at the state level, talks at climate summits, the adoption of a global climate protection plan, activities for ecology and climate improvement undertaken by various civil movements, climate marches and the activity of Greta Thunberg were mentioned. 59 It seems that although the above data do not look significant in terms of percentage, the issue of climate, to a more extent than other things, has found its way to the awareness of Poles who are little interested in global affairs. The recognition of climate change is confirmed by the environmental awareness survey of 2020, according to which climate change is an important problem for 94% of respondents, while the percentage of people who consider this problem as very important has increased 56 Ibidem,p. 41. Three answers at most were allowed to be selected. 57

The importance of natural resources for human life
The issues related to natural resources and their conservation covered by public opinion surveys include, in particular, those necessary for human life, such as water and energy.
The role of water is one of the most notable. People value water as the most important raw material for them -in the 2009 survey a total of 85% of respondents said so, and only a small percentage of respondents indicated oil (5%), gas (4%) and coal (3%). 61 However, the problem of depletion of drinking water resources has been mentioned (after starvation, environmental pollution and economic problems) only in fourth place among the most important problems of the modern world. 62 Moreover, not everyone has heard of the global problem of potable water depletion in the world (72% of respondents have heard of this problem while 28% have not). 63 There is a noticeable increase in awareness concerning the readiness to pay more for energy if produced from renewable sources. The survey of 2020 showed that many more Poles are willing to spend more money on "clean", environmentally friendly energy (78%). This is the highest result achieved over years and at the same time the largest recorded increase (in 2018 it was 20%, and in 2014 -21%, in 2016 -52%). 64 If such declarations translated into a real readiness for this kind of behaviour, this would be an optimistic forecast for the future. The fact is, however, that this readiness is very limited, as most respondents in 2020 declared that they would be willing to pay between 6% and 10% more than their current energy cost. 65 As regards the way Poles perceive various raw materials used as an energy source, the results of the survey identified differing assessment of them from the point of view of energy efficiency, energy production costs, safety and prospects for use. 66

U M C S
Environmental Awareness in Polish Society with Respect to Natural Resources… 369 With all the above criteria taken into account, a very positive picture of renewable energy sources emerges. 67 This is all the more valuable because the use of renewable energy sources is mentioned as the most important way to achieve air quality improvement in Poland (48%). 68 Referring to the strategy Poland should adopt by 2030 for the development of electric power generation, Poles have put much emphasis on renewable energy sources, which would increase clean environment standards and increase the influence of citizens and local communities on energy decisions. 69 "This policy considerably outruns the other possibilities". 70 It should be noted, however, that one of important information gaps that Poles have with regard to environmental issues is their knowledge (or rather lack thereof) about renewable energy sources. 71 As the survey of 2016 on the energy future of Poland shows, the overall assessment of renewable energy sources such as solar radiation, wind, water and biomass is definitely positive. As many as 87% of respondents considered them safe and prospective sources of energy (82%). 72 Moreover, two-thirds of respondents expressed confidence in the efficiency of renewable energy sources (68%). The cost of producing energy from renewable sources was assessed relatively the worst, but also from the point of view of this criterion, positive assessments far outweighed the negative ones (55% vs. 28%). 73 As regards traditionally used energy sources, coal is the main energy raw material used in Poland, and Poland is also the largest producer of coal in the European Union. As far as the criterion of prospective use is concerned, it is clear that Poles are aware that coal resources will run out in the future. In the survey of 2016, 59% of respondents considered coal not to be a prospective source of energy (29% considered it prospective), 74 which confirmed a previous survey (2015) stating that, according to the majority of Poles (61%), Poland should gradually move away from coal-based energy and develop other ways of producing energy. 75 Opinions differ considerably depending on the education of the respondents. While 67 The concept of renewable energy sources is one of the most recognizable concepts related to environment protection, since 81% of respondents declared that they know it. Pobrane z czasopisma Studia Iuridica Lublinensia http://studiaiuridica.umcs.pl Data: 02/09/2021 20:16:59 U M C S the view on abandoning coal-based energy dominated in all the distinguished socio-demographic groups, this opinion was supported most often by respondents with higher education (70%) and least often by poorly educated people (50%). 76 These opinions correlated with party affiliations, as supporters of Law and Justice (Pol. Prawo i Sprawiedliwość) were most likely to support basing the Polish energy industry on coal. 77 According to the survey of 2016, hard and lignite coal is perceived as an efficient (70% positive estimates), expensive (57% vs. 32%), and not prospective (59% vs. 29%) source of energy. Safety assessments are divided, with 52% of respondents considering that its combustion does not pose a risk to the environment and 41% recognizing this risk. 78 It also turned out that the assessment of oil is similar to that of coal. According to the respondents, this fuel is efficient (60% vs. 11%), rather safe (47% vs. 34%), expensive (54% vs. 24%) and not prospective (44% vs. 38%). 79 On the other hand, natural gas is perceived as efficient (70% vs. 9%), safe (6% vs. 30%), expensive (51% vs. 31%), but prospective (55% vs. 29%). 80

ATTITUDES OF POLES TOWARDS NUCLEAR ENERGY AND NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION
The question of the use of nuclear energy causes many doubts and discussion, which makes it justified to discuss it separately. Regarding the assessment of nuclear fuel, the 2016 survey found that respondents considered it efficient (58% positive vs. 8% negative), the cheapest of those assessed (42% vs. 22%), prospective (52% vs. 21% negative), but not very safe (58% negative vs. 24% positive). 81 At this point, the issue of attitude of Poles towards the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland appears, repeatedly examined in public opinion polls. Generally, the attitude can be described as at least cautious. In recent years, the negative attitude on this issue seems to be predominant, but we went far from the extreme position expressed in the past, if we take into account that in 1992 as many as 73% of respondents were against and only 19% for the construction of a nuclear power plant. 82 According to the results of the survey, the highest percentage of supporters 76 Ibidem. 77  is particularly important with regard to such a sensitive issue as the construction of a nuclear power plant, especially as public knowledge regarding the safety of such facilities is still insufficient -it is another information gap to be filled in the course of environmental education. 91 The attitude of local communities towards the possible location of a nuclear power plant depends to a large extent on the activity of local authorities and efforts to present the risks, but also the benefits that may arise from such a project. Hence, in a local referendum held in 2012, residents of the municipality of Mielno strongly voted against the project of location in their neighbourhood, as 94% of them voted against, 92 while in other municipalities -Choczew and Żarnowec nearly 60% voted in favour of the construction of a nuclear power plant. In the latter case, this was due to the involvement of local authorities, consultations and information campaigns. Residents realized that the power plant could stimulate the development of the municipality, provide an opportunity for the development of infrastructure and human capital. 93 Slightly different results, breaking the persistent opposition to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland, were obtained in opinion polls conducted by the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Pol. Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych) in 2014 to verify the public opinion on nuclear power, in which it turned out that 63.9% of Poles are positive about plans to build a nuclear power plant and the opposite opinion is maintained by 24.4% of respondents. 94 Given the distribution of answers taking into account the territorial aspect, there are significant differences in the perception of nuclear energy between the eastern and western parts of Poland. The greatest support for the construction of a nuclear power plant was declared by residents of Kuyavian -Pomeranians (88.7%), Lublin (85.5%) and Lesser Poland (84.9%) regions and the smallest support was declared by residents of West Pomerania (17.4%), Greater Poland (27.3%) and Lower Silesia 36.8%. 95 The above distribution of answers is explained in such a way that in western Poland there is a strong conviction about the negative impact of nuclear power plants located in the neighbouring countries on the environment, health and safety, and there are greater fears of an accident or terrorist attack if it is built in Poland. In the east of the country, however, more people are convinced of the possible economic benefits of such an investment. Regardless of the results of opinion polls, in accordance with the "Energy policy of Poland by 2040" a nuclear power plant is to be built in Poland. 97 It is planned that the first of the six nuclear power plant blocks with a capacity of about 1-1.6 GW will be operational in 2033, and the next ones will be implemented every 2 to 3 years. The construction of the power plant is expected to begin in 2026, but its exact location is not yet known, although it will most likely be located in Pomerania. 98 It is expected that between 2040 and 2045, about a third of energy production in Poland is to come from nuclear power. 99 However, it is difficult to ignore the fact that there are serious delays on the part of the investor in the implementation of the nuclear power plant construction schedule, and the further implementation of the nuclear energy programme needs to be intensified. 100

THE PROBLEM OF AIR QUALITY
More and more often, people's own everyday experiences, backed up by collected data, present on an unprecedented scale the problem of air pollution in Poland. They are by no means optimistic. According to the World Health Organisation, 72% of cities in Poland exceed the air quality standards defined to be achieved before 2020, which places Poland second only to Bulgaria. 101 The smog problem has appeared in recent years as a separate subject in public opinion polls, which may, however, indicate that its importance has been noticed. Comparing public opinion polls relating to smog conducted in 2018 and 2019, it appears that 44% (the same result in both polls) of Poles perceive smog as a serious problem in the area where they live. A total of 29% of respondents in 2018 and 34% U M C S in 2019 commented on the small scale of the problem, while 24% of respondents in 2018 and 19% in 2019 did not notice this problem at all. 102 Respondents state as the most common reason for poor air quality in Poland the emissions from home heating stoves (37%), this reason coming in first place in the 2020 survey. In second place are emissions from motorised transport (24%), and in third place are large emissions from, e.g., factories (35%). 103 According to the respondents, to improve air quality in Poland, it is necessary to replace old coal--fired stoves with low-emission ones (54%) and to use renewable energy sources (33%). This is consistent with the answer that it is stoves which are the main cause of poor air quality.
A number of local and nationwide measures have been taken to address the problem of smog. Some cities in Poland have already taken appropriate decisions in this field, and the effects are becoming visible. For example, the city of Krakow decided that heating systems in residents' homes be replaced and coal-fired stoves are eliminated. 104 They have brought concrete results, as the air quality in the capital of Lesser Poland is systematically improving. Moreover, in a poll carried out by "Gazeta Wyborcza", the effective fight against smog was considered the greatest success of Krakow in the last 30 years (27% of votes). 105 Although this was only a newspaper plebiscite and not a survey conducted in line with methodological rules, it is hard not to notice that one-third of the participants considered the problem of smog so important that they considered its reduction an unquestionable success. It should be noted that nationwide action has also been taken to combat smog. The programme "Clean Air" (Pol. "Czyste Powietrze") is the first of its kind and provides subsidies for the replacement of old stoves and the thermal insulation of detached houses, but its real effects will still have to be seen. 106 U M C S