Almost 80% of Polish people living in Britain believe the country should remain in the EU, with 40% fearing Brexit would provoke anti-migrant feeling, a survey showed. The poll of 5,878 Polish people in the UK, which was carried out from 15-17 June seen by the Observer, found that 79.4% wanted Britain to remain in the EU.

Of those surveyed by Polish pollster IBRiS, many intended to pursue a long-term future in the country, with 47.4% of people surveyed stating they would attempt to remain in the UK even in the event of Brexit, and 83% saying they were looking to stay in the country long-term if possible.

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Marcin Duma, chief executive of IBRiS, told The Guardian: "Our respondents declare that ahead of the decisive vote they feel mostly negative emotions – fear [11%] and uncertainty [62%], which can be linked with the fact that as many as 83% see their future as the Queen's subjects. The percentage of those who would like to return to Poland is minimal [3%].

"Our research also reveals that Poles living in the UK are concerned about a potential increase in negative attitudes towards migrants following a Brexit vote [39.2%]. While they feel personally accepted in the UK [72.7% net positive], they feel that Poles as a national group are much less welcome [34.6%].

"Regardless of the result of the vote, Poles living in the UK feel integrated with the British society and want to stay in the country, thinking of it as their home. Contrary to the media narrative, access to benefits is not their key concern, as almost 94% of them are in permanent employment or education."

However, almost half of those surveyed felt worried about the impact the EU referendum could have on them as migrants, with 40% saying they were worried anti-migrant feeling would increase if a Brexit occurred.

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