Survey: Sorbs have closer ties to Lusatia

A according to a survey, the Sorbian population has a closer connection to Lusatia than other people in the region. Around 83 percent of respondents of Sorbian origin stated that the region is close to their hearts, according to the Lusatia Monitor 2025. Among the other respondents, the figure was significantly lower at 62 percent.

Sorbians were also more likely to think about the future of Lusatia (58% versus 36%) and were more involved in shaping it (24% versus 12%).

The Sorbs also had a more positive view of change in the region. More than one in three Lusatians of Sorbian origin believe that the situation has improved or become much better over the past five years. Among people of non-Sorbian origin, however, this proportion was a quarter.

Lusatia Monitor focuses on Sorbs for the first time

For the "Lusatia Monitor", MAS Gesellschaft für Marktanalyse und Strategie surveyed 1,028 people in Lusatia online in March/April. The study has been conducted annually since 2020 and is said to be representative.

This year, for the first time, the survey placed a special focus on the Sorbian population. In addition to the main topic of structural change, the survey also looked at multilingualism, cultural identity and the role of the Sorbs in the transformation of the region.

The results of the study show that around 14 percent of Lusatians have Sorbian origins. The criteria, at least one of which must be fulfilled, included self-identification as a Sorbian, a command of the language, Sorbian-speaking parents or grandparents and the cultivation of Sorbian traditions and customs. The proportion of Sorbs in the districts of Spree-Neiße (20 percent), Oberspreewald-Lausitz (17 percent) and Bautzen (17 percent) is particularly high.

Widespread recognition for language and culture

Among all respondents, both Sorbian culture and language were widely recognized as an essential part of regional identity (83 percent and 72 percent respectively). Almost half rated the greeting "Witaj" as a typical regional greeting - comparable to "Moin" in the north or "Servus" in the Alps.

The chairman of Domowina - the Association of Lusatian Sorbs -, Dawid Statnik, assessed the results positively: "Sorbian is not just a question for us, but an integral part of the entire Łužyca/Łužica." According to the Lusatia Monitor, one percent of respondents speak Sorbian.