Unfavorable view of Belarusians in double digits in Lithuania

March 13, Pozirk. A new poll has found that Lithuanians’ view of Belarusian immigrants is mostly positive, but still an unfavorable opinion is in double digits.

Lithuanians have a more favorable view of Ukrainians with only 12 percent saying that they would not like to have a Ukrainian refugee as a neighbor compared with 18 percent saying the same about Belarusian immigrants; 22 percent, about people not speaking Lithuanian; 35 percent, about Russian immigrants; 54 percent, about homosexuals; and 65 percent, about people with mental disorders.

Some Lithuanians (26 percent) would not like to work together with Russians, (12 percent) with Belarusians and (8 percent) with Ukrainians, showed a poll by Diversity Development Group and the ethnic research department of the LSMC Sociology Institute.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents learned about political immigrants from the media, while only 1 percent met them in person.

The overwhelming majority of Lithuanians – 43 percent strongly agreed and 40 percent agreed – with the statement that immigrants contribute to a rise in crime, while 33 percent strongly agreed and 45 percent agreed that refugees can cause social unrest.

Moreover, 33 percent would not like to see immigrants going to the same school as their children.

The poll was conducted from November 16 to 27 among a random sample of 1,018 residents of 33 towns and 42 villages. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.