Austrians’ satisfaction with the political system has dropped again: Currently, only 34 percent of people think it works well, according to SORA’s annual “Democracy Monitor”. This is the lowest value since the survey began in 2018 – five years ago, satisfaction was 30 percentage points higher (64 percent). More people than ever also want a ‘strong leader’.
Trust in institutions also continued to fall year-on-year: 33 percent (down nine percentage points) currently have confidence in the federal government, 38 percent (down eight percentage points) in parliament, and 53 percent (down six percentage points) in the Federal President. In addition, 38 percent of those surveyed are currently unable to find a political party representing their cause, compared to just 13 percent in 2018.
People lack confidence
According to SORA, one of the reasons for the loss of confidence is that political actors are unable to address particularly important issues in a way that inspires confidence. Most people cite inflation (42 percent) as their most pressing political concern right now, followed by economic inequality (20 percent), climate change (15 percent), the war in Ukraine (14 percent), and immigration and integration (13 percent) . . ).
Bad light for politics and media
The investigation was completed shortly after Thomas Schmid’s leniency application became known, so the effects of the most recent debates on the chat logs cannot be found in the Democracy Monitor. Nevertheless, at the time of the survey, a majority of 59 percent agreed with the statement that “politics and media are in cahoots.”
Desire for a “strong leader”?
Worryingly, for the first time since the survey began, the classic question about the “strong leader who doesn’t have to worry about parliament and elections” is no longer rejected by a majority – currently 46 percent disagree at all agree, compared to 56 percent a year ago. At the same time, however, democracy has not lost its popularity: over the five years of the survey, almost nine out of ten people think it is the best form of government – despite some problems.
This year’s representative survey of 2,164 people took place between September 7 and October 21 using telephone and online interviews.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
