The Image of Ukrainians in the Eyes of Polish Internet Users in the Context of the Growth of Ukrainian Entrepreneurship in Poland After the Russian Invasion of Ukraine – Analysis of Internet Comments on Facebook

Abstract

After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Poland became a haven for refugees, and Poles provided them with great help. The government introduced legal facilities for Ukrainians, which facilitated settlement and business activity. Along with the influx of refugees, Ukrainian companies also moved, and the number of newly established enterprises increased significantly. This phenomenon had a significant im pact on Polish society, the structure of small and medium-sized companies, and the country’s economy. The enormous scale and dynamics of the phenomenon undoubtedly could not have gone unnoticed not only by economists, but also by Polish society, which was encountering such a large wave of migrants to Poland for the first time. Ukrainians settling in Poland have undoubtedly significantly influenced the struc ture of Polish society and the landscape of the small and medium-sized enterprise sector in the country and, therefore, the Polish economy. Therefore, it seems interesting to examine the reaction to informa tion appearing on the Internet about the growth of entrepreneurship of Ukrainians in Poland, in order to diagnose possible problems related to their perception and thus implement appropriate actions aimed at alleviating negative social moods related to the discussed phenomenon. For this purpose, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of comments posted on Facebook under five articles published by the portals Businessinsider.pl, Money.pl and TVN24.pl was carried out, answering the question about the image of Ukrainians among Internet users in the context of the growth of Ukrainian entrepreneurship in Poland.