Analysis of the Impact of Belarusian Propaganda on the Belarusian Diaspora

30 Jan 2025 | Reports

Analysis of the Impact of Belarusan on the Belarusan Diaspora

Author: Belarus Strategic Communications Centre

The aim of this project is to analyse the impact of Belarusan state propaganda on the Belarusan diaspora in Poland. The project includes a survey and focus groups among the Belarusian diaspora in Poland to collect data on their media consumption habits and perceptions of Belarusian state media, as well as to analyse the narratives used in propaganda and assess their impact on the diaspora’s opinion. The report includes recommendations for Polish and Belarusian organisations to counter negative propaganda and support the diaspora.

The invitation to participate in the questionnaire survey was distributed in open chats of the Belarusan diaspora in Poland (Warsaw, Lodz, Poznan, Wroctaw, Bydgoszcz), as well as through individual activists and activists of the Belarusan diaspora in Poland. A questionnaire with closed and open questions was offered for filling in – in Russian and Belarusian languages at choice. The questionnaire was created in the Google Forms service. The questionnaire could be filled in only by authorised Google users, once from one Google account (to exclude the possibility of artificial increase in the number of answers).

As a result, 80 Belarusian-speaking and 30 Russian-speaking questionnaires were collected.

Read the report here

Conclusions

The conducted questionnaire survey allowed us to form some idea about the media preferences of the Belarusan diaspora and its perception of information from Belarusan state mass media. The survey covered 110 respondents and female respondents living in Poland, mostly young and able-bodied, which, as we think, reflects the actual demographic structure of migration from Belarus. The portrait of the participants demonstrates an even gender distribution, with a significant predominance of recent migrants with one to three years of residence experience.

The research revealed a low level of trust to Belarusian state mass media among the diaspora representatives. More than a half of respondents completely avoid these sources, and those who consume them, note predominantly negative assessments of both the content reliability and the general tone of the materials. The topics related to Poland, life abroad and activity of the Belarusan diaspora in the state media are characterised by tendentiousness, emphasis on negative aspects and manipulative approach.

Key themes identified in analysing the responses to the open-ended questions include the following aspects:

  • Formation of negative images of foreign countries: Special attention is paid to the dissemination of narratives about poverty, inflation, discrimination of migrants and instability abroad. In particular, respondents mentioned exaggerated reports about the difficulties of life in Poland, such as empty shops or cruel treatment of Belarusians.
  • Creating a fear of emigration: Belarusian state media emphasise the risks of migration, condemn “fugitives” and warn against participation in the public life of the diaspora, forming negative attitudes towards emigration.
  • Excellence of Belarus: Narratives emphasise stability in Belarus and the superiority of the Belarusian system over Western models.
  • Discrediting Poland: A separate place is occupied by accusing the Polish authorities of destabilising Belarus, which is used to create a hostile image of the host country.

Despite the obvious manipulative orientation of the content of Belarusian state media, the majority of respondents demonstrate critical perception of information and resistance to propaganda.

Nevertheless, the diaspora notes the indirect influence of propaganda, which is manifested through the creation of an atmosphere of anxiety and threat. This can affect the activity of community members, their involvement in public life. Thus, the analysis underlines that Belarusian state mass media have a limited direct influence on the diaspora in Poland, but their impact through the creation of a negative emotional background remains a factor that cannot be ignored. In this context, the development of media literacy, increase of critical perception of information and support of the information sovereignty of the diaspora (creation of independent media platforms, dialogue with local media, etc.) are of special importance.

The findings underscore the importance of further study of the information impact on emigrant communities, including analyses of strategies to counter propaganda. This is particularly relevant for strengthening the internal unity of the diaspora, preserving its social activism and enhancing its role in strengthening ties between countries.

Read the report here to learn more about its policy recommendations 

This report was made possible by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the Counter Disinformation Network.

The Counter Disinformation Network (CDN) is a collaborative platform that gathers more than 150 information manipulation-countering practitioners from over 30 civil society organisations, universities, news organisations, fact-checking organisations and independents mostly from Europe and North America. The network was initially convened by Alliance4Europe with the aim of protecting European democracy and information integrity. The network works to coordinate projects, respond to major events and crises, distribute research findings to actors who can use it, and facilitate exchange.

This report is a public task financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the grant competition ‘Public Diplomacy 2024-2025 – the European dimension and countering disinformation.’

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the official positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

 

Name of the task: Information Defence Alliance

Project financed from the state budget under the competition of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland “Public Diplomacy 2024–2025 – the European dimension and counteracting disinformation”

Amount of funding: 473 900 PLN

Brief description of the task: The Information Defence Alliance project aimed to monitor and mitigate influence operations targeting France, Italy, Germany, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and the Belarusian diaspora.

To do this, the project had three pillars:
1. researching influence operations,
2. inviting organisations and researchers from these countries to the CDN,
3. providing trainings to organisations to increase their capacity and share a common language.