War, inflation and declining confidence in politics are also leaving their mark on EU sentiment in Austria. “While there is still a clear majority behind Austria’s EU membership, the number of people now considering leaving the Union is increasing,” warned Paul Schmidt, secretary general of the Austrian Association for European Politics (ÖGfE). opinion poll on opinion trends in the EU.
According to the Austrian opinion poll commissioned by the ÖGfE at the end of September, more than two-thirds of those polled (64 percent) were in favor of Austria’s membership of the European Union. 27 percent argued in favor of leaving the Union. Nine percent answered “don’t know” or did not answer. The number of people wanting to leave the EU in Austria is therefore the same as it was more than six years ago.
“Since the start of the Corona crisis, the number of people who want to leave the EU has increased,” Schmidt analyzes according to the broadcast. Shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic in December 2019, the value was still at a historically low 8%, since then it has gradually increased by 19 percentage points. Over the same period, the number of EU supporters has fallen by 11 percentage points from 75%, and the number of people who are not sure about this issue has dropped by 8 percentage points.”
EU supporters have always been in the majority
Since the beginning of Austria’s EU membership in 1995, the Austrian Association for European Policy has commissioned a total of 66 Austria-wide surveys on this subject. They show that supporters of EU membership have always been in the majority. According to the ÖGfE, their numbers averaged around 70 percent and the number of people who voted to leave the EU was almost 22 percent. The lowest approval for EU membership was in July 2008 at 59 percent, the highest in November 1999 at 82 percent.
“Pessimism about the future, mixed with loss of prosperity and disenchantment with politics, however, form a mixture that you should not close your eyes to,” said Schmidt. “A continuing war, further escalation of Russia and concerns about an adequate energy supply are also putting European unity to the test. The voices that criticize European crisis management itself, but without itself offering realistic alternatives, are gaining weight.”
Politicians must face this situation and repeatedly explain why it is essential for European security and the model of values and democracy to resist Russian aggression, the secretary general of ÖGfE demanded.
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.
