Social Assessment of Local Government Authorities in Poland

Objectives The aim of the article is to indicate the main trends in the social perception of local government authorities in terms of their electoral participation in 2014 and 2018. Material and methods The analysis was carried out based on research reports from the Public Opinion Research Center. In order to verify the hypothesis, the following research methods were used: comparative, descriptive and analysis of existing data. Results Although it was only in 2018 that turnout in local government elections in Poland exceeded over 50%, it is important that during subsequent campaigns there was a slow but gradual increase in electoral participation in the voting process. Based on the data presented, it should also be stated that not only has the number of people pointing to the high importance of local government elections and positively assessing the authorities' actions increased, but also that this assessment translates into electoral decisions such as participation in elections and who voters will vote for. The candidates' recognition and satisfaction with their current activities as local government authorities was a kind of catalyst for supporting them again in the elections. Conclusions The social perception of local government authorities in general is positive and clearly results from the recognition, perception and assessment of municipal authorities. However, there are deficits in knowledge about the activities and competences of local government authorities at the district and voivodeship level. A positive factor for the development of conscious participation in social and political life, and consequently the further development of local democracy, would be increased interest in the initiatives and activities of higher-level local government authorities.