“Kashubs in the light of the 2021 national census,” a report by Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński, analyses the results of the latest census in the context of Kashubian identity. It includes data on the declared national, ethnic, and linguistic affiliation of Kashubs, their territorial distribution, and the dynamics of change compared to the 2011 Census results.

Stefan Ramułt undertook the task of estimating the Kashubian population using scientific methods, and included his results in the work Statystyka ludności kaszubskiej (Kashubian population statistics), Kraków 1899. According to his research, there were 174,831 Kashubs at that time, and Ramułt considered Kartuzy County to be the core of Kashubia. Historian Janusz Kutta attempted to determine the number of Kashubs in relation to the interwar period, finding that in 1921, a total of approximately 180,000 Kashubs lived in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Based on sociological research conducted in the second half of the 1980s, Marek Latoszek concluded that 332,000 Kashubs and just over 184,000 half-Kashubs lived in Gdańsk Pomerania.

The 2011 Census allowed for the submission of a so-called double declaration, which was then counted as a minority. Therefore, nationwide, a total of 232,547 people declared Kashubian ethnic identification. For 17,746, it was their first ethnic identification (including for 16,377, their only ethnic identification), and for 215,784, it was combined with Polish (in which case, Polish was listed first). The vast majority of these declarations were in the Pomeranian Voivodeship: 227,947, while half as many declaring their language identity (108,140). It is worth noting that, compared to 2002, this Census was not comprehensive – data for communes was missing. In the 2021 Census, over 179,685 people declared Kashubian affiliation: 11,961 as an exclusive identity and 167,724 as a combined identity (Kashubian-Polish). At the same time, 6,849 people declared using Kashubian at home.

Regarding the language spoken at home, the 2021 Census shows that across all minority groups in Poland, the vast majority, while speaking their own language, also speak Polish. Kashubs do not stand out in this regard. Interestingly, in 2021, there were only 1,777 people speaking solely Kashubian. Over the past 10 years, their number has decreased as the older generation, who spoke only Kashubian, has passed away. The table, describing Kashubian national and ethnic identification in the voivodeships in 2011 and 2021, shows that the largest concentration of the Kashubian community is in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. This data indicates that Kashubs are the most spatially concentrated ethnic community in Poland, with representatives found in every voivodeship.

The final section of the report contains several of the author’s recommendations, including: working to popularize the Kashubian language, strengthening its prestige and range of use; promoting the region’s cultural diversity; stimulating debate on identity politics; and conducting in-depth research on Kashubian education.

The publication also includes two annexes: a table titled “Language used in home contacts and national and ethnic identification in communes of the Pomeranian Voivodeship – National Census 2021” and Commune maps – National Census 2021.