Perceived stress and well-being of Polish migrants in the UK after Brexit vote

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate factors affecting personal well-being of Polish immigrants living in the UK in the face of a significant political change—the Brexit vote. We measured perceived changes in attitude or behaviour of supervisors and co-workers, respondents’ perceived stress, and its outcomes such as psychological well-being and intention to leave the UK after the Brexit vote.Method551 Polish migrants residing in various regions of the UK took part in the study in the form of Qualtrics online survey. We used self-report measures: Perceived Stress Scale, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Scale of Psychological Well-being.ResultsThe most of the respondents did not notice any change in the attitude or behaviour of the supervisor (81%) or co-workers (84%), and only a small percentage of the participants reported negative changes in attitude or behaviour of supervisors (9%) and co-workers (14%). Also, negative change in attitude or behaviour of supervisors or co-workers are associated with perceived stress, which inturn is linked with intention to leave the UK, psychological well-being and life satisfaction.ConclusionPolish and British co-existence in a workplace setting has not changed much after the Brexit vote.