During this transition period, great economic stresses resulted from the transition from a centrally planned economy dependent upon a bloc of Eastern socialist countries to a more capitalistic-based, marketplace orientation with strong ties to Western Europe and the United States. Families were greatly affected by job layoffs as factories and industries were reorganized, downsized and privatized. Currently, forty percent of Polish families live below the poverty level. A growing number of young Poles are pessimistic about their chances of a better life. The youngest surveyed were not aware of signs of economic crisis in their families, but the older ones became concerned over financial circumstances and just as pessimistic as adults about prospects for improvement.
All schools follow the same national curriculum and use the same textbooks.
Current educational methods are believed to contribute to passivity and apathy among Polish youth. Some 550,000 children and youth are hospitalized each year. Seventeen percent of hospital patients in the 5-19 age group are victims of road accidents. An equal number are hospitalized for respiratory problems resulting from environmental pollution. One in three poles under the age of 19 lives in an environmentally degraded area.