The report, “Kashubs in the Pomeranian community: identity, stereotypes, relationships in the light of recent research,” by Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński, primarily contains the content and discussion of the study conducted in 2022-2023, “Attitudes and behaviours of residents of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in the context of building the identity of Pomeranians,” developed by a team of researchers led by C. Obracht-Prondzyński. To date, research has focused on questions such as who the Kashubs are, what their identity is, how they perceive themselves, what activities they engage in, what the Kashubian movement is, and what the organizations and demands of the Kashubian community are. The study, “Attitudes and behaviours of Pomeranian Voivodeship residents in the context of building Pomeranian identity,” addresses, among other things, the attitudes of Pomeranians toward Kashubs, their primary associations with Kashubia, their perceptions of intergroup relations, and the strength of their territorial identification with the Kashubian region.

All graphs address questions related to associations with Pomerania; emotional ties with Europe, Poland, Pomerania, a selected district, city, town, subregion of Pomerania, Kashubia, the Tricity area, etc. The study results demonstrate territorial identification and emotional connections with place.

The study described in the report also presents attitudes toward various groups of Pomeranian residents (Kashubs, settlers from the east (Kresowiacy), national minorities, immigrants); the attitudes of Pomeranian Voivodeship residents toward Kashubs, as well as the frequently asked question of who can be truly considered a Kashub.

This study divides Pomeranian residents into five groups based on socio-identity attitudes. These include: Prosocial Traditionalists, Egoistic Conformists, Progressive Individualists, Autonomous Humanists, and Ambitious Isolationists.

Analysis of individual segments revealed that all groups share the strongest bonds with Pomerania. Prosocial Traditionalists identify most strongly with each of the regions outside Europe. Autonomous Humanists form a group that identifies more strongly with Kashubia than others. Ambitious Isolationists declare the weakest ties with each of the regions—they identify more with the area where they live and with which they are territorially close. For Ambitious Isolationists and Progressive Individualists (younger in age), Europe is not significantly less representative of their identification than Poland, their region, city, or neighbourhood. However, older residents of Pomerania are more connected to their village, city, region, or homeland.

The report and research show that attitudes towards Kashubs (and more broadly, the cultural diversity of Pomerania) depend not only on geography, but also on world views and identity.

The conclusions drawn from the study indicate a positive image of Kashubs. There is no “rift” between the metropolis and Kashubia. What is associated with Kashubia, including Kashubian culture, is a crucial element of Pomeranian regional identity. According to the study’s authors, there is definitely no “crisis of Kashubian identity” (a kind of “disappearance”), nor is there a breakdown in group relations, which would be counterproductive if the actions undertaken and implemented by the Kashubian community are significant not only for the community itself but also for the entire region—strengthening its identity.