Is There Life Outside of the European Union? Lower Silesians’ Opinions About the Alternatives to the EU Membership

This paper answers the question about the alternatives to the European Union membership (and its consequences) conceptualised by the inhabitants of Lower Silesia. To achieve this goal, this text delivers and discusses the empirical data, both quantitative and qualitative, answering the sub-questions if and how their lives have changed as a result of the accession to the EU as well as what are the alternatives, namely: How would our lives have looked like if Poland had not joined the EU in 2004? The article is empirical at its heart. It is built on some fresh data from an extensive research project conducted in 2014 – at the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the EU ‘big bang’ enlargement. At the same time it is the only study conducted in Poland which explores the question of citizens’ perceptions on the Europeanisation effects in such a complex and comprehensive way on the regional level. This study focuses on explaining the Lower Silesians’ opinions exclusively, which allows to see one of the most economically successful regions of Poland in the eyes of its inhabitants.