Although there is no widely acceptable definition of Polish people, the popular basis for their identity would be the Polish language. The minority of Polish people can be found in nearby countries in Europe such as the Germany, Czech Republic, Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania. There are also those found in Russia, Latvia, and Moldova. Because of the rise up of the European Union, there are Polish people who joined the labor market in Ireland. Still others immigrated in the UK. In the US, there are Polish people that settled in New York, Orlando, Buffalo Detroit and Chicago. There are also a majority of them that settled in Canada.

The Polish people ranks sixth in terms of Europe's largest national group. Per estimate by a reliable source, Polish people living in Poland are approximately at 39 million. Twenty one million of them are spread throughout the globe away from Poland. All in all there Polish people totals 60 million worldwide.

There are no distinctions with Polish people in terms of facial features as they look like any European faces. But there are indeed stereotypes about them in terms of characteristics. Polish people are typically friendly, hospitable, and open-minded. Visitors can get comfortable around them as they tend to welcome and any people from different places. They are also always extending their hands and people can be assured of their assistance and help. The Polish people are also passionate with their work, hardworking, and industrious. They can be relied to do the job that they find interesting and they do it with pride. They also honor their tradition and religion. They give importance to special religious occasions and events. In the same way, they live in such a way that shows their respect and patriotism to their nation and Slavic tradition.

Polish people are also generally family-oriented people. Family is vital to one's success in life; they usually value family life and their roles in their family. They follow the rules of rearing children uprightly as well as respecting spouse. Polish people also love their cuisine. They are passionate with preparing meals and takes pleasure in satisfying palates with Latin and Slavic tastes. Wherever they are, Polish people can be identified with these characteristics.

Polish people lost their independence during Russian communism that ran to about a century. Although they were under such regime, they have learned to preserve their language, culture, customs, and traditions. When they eventually regained independence, they had established cultural organization and folkloric ensembles to uplift their identity. The traditions in Polish Paper Cutting (known as Wycinanki) and other folk songs and dances were also preserved. They also take utmost care for the wooden churches as their heritage.

Since Polish people can be anywhere, they maintained these statuses and characteristics that make up being Poles. They have general positive attributes that make other people from different places want to meet and deal with them.