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<p>The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted migrants’ social, economic, and psychological lives, yet little is known about how these disruptions shaped long-term adaptation, particularly among Polish migrants across different host-country contexts. This study compares post-pandemic coping and adaptation among Polish migrants in the UK and Germany, aiming to identify how individuals transitioned from crisis. Using a qualitative design, we combined an online survey with in-depth interviews with 60 participants (30 per country), recruited through snowball and purposive sampling. Thematic analysis, guided by Ager and Strang’s integration model, social anchoring, and everyday integration concepts, identified three strategies: Independents with rapid return to pre-pandemic routines; Introverts with sustained withdrawal into home-centred lifestyles; and Innovators with proactive pursuit of personal growth and career change. Coping mechanisms included acquiring pets, seeking therapy, enjoying remote work, and shifting leisure to the home. Challenges were more pronounced in Germany, where language barriers and perceived social closure constrained adaptation, while UK respondents more often re-engaged socially and pursued transformative change. The introduction of strategies’ typology represents a key contribution of the study, as it focuses on long-term adaptation trajectories beyond the immediate crisis. Furthermore, the study reveals how different structural contexts as post-Brexit uncertainty and a liberal labour market in the UK versus relatively stable policy context but enduring linguistic constraints and restricted access to established social networks in Germany shaped the choice and effectiveness of these strategies.</p>

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Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Adaptation Strategies Among Polish Immigrants in the UK and Germany

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月4日

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  • Katarzyna Górska,
  • Joanna Kulpińska,
  • Anna Wyrwisz

摘要

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted migrants’ social, economic, and psychological lives, yet little is known about how these disruptions shaped long-term adaptation, particularly among Polish migrants across different host-country contexts. This study compares post-pandemic coping and adaptation among Polish migrants in the UK and Germany, aiming to identify how individuals transitioned from crisis. Using a qualitative design, we combined an online survey with in-depth interviews with 60 participants (30 per country), recruited through snowball and purposive sampling. Thematic analysis, guided by Ager and Strang’s integration model, social anchoring, and everyday integration concepts, identified three strategies: Independents with rapid return to pre-pandemic routines; Introverts with sustained withdrawal into home-centred lifestyles; and Innovators with proactive pursuit of personal growth and career change. Coping mechanisms included acquiring pets, seeking therapy, enjoying remote work, and shifting leisure to the home. Challenges were more pronounced in Germany, where language barriers and perceived social closure constrained adaptation, while UK respondents more often re-engaged socially and pursued transformative change. The introduction of strategies’ typology represents a key contribution of the study, as it focuses on long-term adaptation trajectories beyond the immediate crisis. Furthermore, the study reveals how different structural contexts as post-Brexit uncertainty and a liberal labour market in the UK versus relatively stable policy context but enduring linguistic constraints and restricted access to established social networks in Germany shaped the choice and effectiveness of these strategies.