The change of the Polish sociopolitical system 2015–2017 in the perspective of the structure of classes and strata

Abstract

_{There are two factors presented in the paper that have an impact on the general public attitude towards the change of the sociopolitical system. The first factor is the affiliation of individuals to a specific social class or stratum. The second factor is the attitude of these classes and strata towards democratic values. What is particularly significant in that respect is the acceptance of the notions of “democratic government” and “nondemocratic government”. The empirical data used in the analysis are based on research by the Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS ). The important cognitive aspect of the article is a verification of the following hypothesis: the social classes and strata that have existed since the times of socialism accept democratic values to a lesser degree than the classes and strata established during the transformation of the sociopolitical system. The paper is the presentation of the theoretical model of social structure, based on two separate categories of social differentiation: social classes and social strata. The criterion of this differentiation is the division into those whose means of existence are based on private property of means of labour and rent vs. those based on public property of means of labour and rent. The theoretical background of the conception is the class theories of Marx and Weber.}