The Attitudes of the University of Warsaw Students towards Selected Nationalistic and Fascistic Symbols in Public Sphere

Abstract

The use of symbols in politics is an important topic that is subject of many research projects. From the viewpoint of political science, man creates various signs to which certain values and meanings are attributed. The article describes the results of a survey of the University of Warsaw students’ opinions concerning the presence of selected nationalistic and fascistising symbols in the public sphere. It also presents the current state of research concerning in politics, research questions, the formulated hypotheses and the research methods used. The article also describes selected symbols used by national, nationalistic and fascistic organisations. The article also outlines how the symbols associated with the extreme right are perceived by the young people in Poland and what significance it could have in the context of the current political trends. The author underlines the importance of public opinion polls concerning nationalistic and fascistising symbols, especially in the context of the growing wave of nationalism and the extreme right in Europe. The survey, carried out in 2021-2022, revealed that the majority of the respondents negatively appraised the selected nationalistic and fascistising symbols, such as the black sun, the falanga or the Celtic cross. At the same time, some respondents found it difficult to identify individual symbols, which point to the need for more educations as regards the history and ideologies associated with those symbols. The conclusions drawn from the survey indicate the need for more education and greater sensitivity to those issues among young people, who are the future of our society.