A new survey has revealed that Austrians have a particularly high level of fear: citizens are worried about their domestic water. More than 60 percent of the population is concerned about the issue of water scarcity – and almost all Austrians are now demanding action from politicians.
More than 90 percent of respondents were in favor of concrete protection measures and 87 percent would like industrial companies to pay for their water consumption. This attitude was questioned among more than 2,000 respondents in a representative survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Integral on behalf of the environmental protection organization Greenpeace.
Older people in particular are concerned
63 percent of the participants stated that they had noticed a regional water shortage in Austria in the past two years; especially the age group over 70 years answered this question affirmatively, while young people under 19 years of age were less aware of the problem.
Six out of ten respondents also expressed fears that water shortages will occur more frequently in the future. This concern is most pronounced in Lower Austria (66 percent) and Upper Austria (64 percent).
Concerns about food safety
People working in agriculture or agricultural trade also showed above-average concern about future water availability. Food production is considered particularly at risk, with 74 percent of respondents citing it as potentially affected.
According to Greenpeace, about 70 percent of all water consumption in Austria comes from industry, which generally pays nothing for the water used. The ten largest companies alone are said to have a consumption of about 4 million inhabitants.
This was met with incomprehension among respondents: 87 percent believe that industrial companies should be required to pay for their water consumption. Furthermore, 91 percent of Austrians would like to see the next federal government have detailed plans to protect water.
Source: Krone
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