During most of its history, Poland was a multiethnic society that included substantial numbers of Belarusians, Germans, Jews, and Ukrainians. This ethnic diversity was reduced sharply by World War II and the migrations that followed it. The Jewish population was reduced by about 3 million in the Holocaust. The resettlement and adjustment of borders sent about 2 million Germans from Polish territory. In turn, about 3 million ethnic Poles repatriated from the Soviet Union. As a result, most people in Poland recognize their ethnicity as Polish (97.6%). This is in sharp contrast to the United States. As it has been stated many times, America is the “melting pot” or “salad bowl” of all the other nations of the world. One statistic found was that 77.1% called their ethnicity white, 12.9% black, and 4.2% Asian. The problem with comparing that information is that “white” encompasses so many actual ethnicities. One can call themselves “white” if they are Irish, Italian, Mexican, English, French, etc. The list could go on for days. The majority of Poles are just that, Poles. There is a more homogeneous blend. The same can be said of the religion. Poland claims that 96% of its citizens are Roman Catholic. The United States has a much larger spread with 56% Protestant, 28% Roman Catholic, 2% Jewish, 4% other, and 10% stating no religion is practiced.
Poland and The United States are similar in the actual people as human beings. Both nations have approximately the same age variations with roughly 20% of their populations under the age of fourteen. They also have a similar male to female ratio. Poland’s population is much more condensed due to the smaller land area. Poland has approximately 127 people per sq. km whereas America only has 30. The United States is experiencing a population growth rate of .89%, but Poland is actually seeing a decline in population at -.02%. America’s birth rate is higher, death rate is lower, and infant mortality rate is lower. These facts all contribute to America’s growth and Poland’s decline.
Poland has a very high unemployment rate of 16.7% compared to our nation’s average of 5%. This may be due to the differences in occupation types. Most of Poland’s people work in services, agriculture, and industry. The people of the United States focus on managerial and professional, technical and sales, and manufacturing and transportation. The fact that the Polish do more labor intensive jobs may also be a reason why their life expectancy is more than five years less than ours.
The People of Poland actually have a higher literacy rate than the United States, 99% compared to 97%. They seem to have a similar school structure to ours with a preliminary grammar school through eighth grade and then high school. They offer both college preparatory classes and vocational training and then can go on to college if they choose. The family structure also seems to be similar to America’s. In Poland the family is the traditional center of social life as it is here. The parents offer support of grown children until they become self-sufficient and in return care is given to the aging parents and grandparents by the grown children.
