Economic and social changes in rural areas in Poland

Poland’s accession to the European Union has had a significant effect on the socio-economic situation of rural dwellers. The quality of life in rural areas is worse than in the cities, which is primarily due to lower income of rural residents. Also, the level of expenditure is lower, mainly with respect to higher needs. The equipment of households with basic technical installations and durable goods, especially modern, is also worse in rural areas than in the urban areas. The rural population evaluates subjectively their quality of life as worse than the urban population and they also believe that the ability to satisfy their needs is worse than in the cities. Rural development policy should continue pursuing actions contributing to the development of entrepreneurship, renewal and development of villages, in order to ensure sustainable development of rural areas, also with regard to technical infrastructure, which contributes to improvement in the living conditions and the conditions of business operations of the inhabitants of rural areas. This will contribute to bridging a gap of economic and social disparities between urban and rural population.