Fall date favorite

Poll: Narrow majority against a super election Sunday

According to the plan and in the opinion of most Austrians, the National Council will not be re-elected until the fall.(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

According to a survey, the majority of Austrians are against a quick re-election of the National Council and merging it with the EU elections into a super election Sunday. The main reason: citizens should have enough time to form an opinion.

According to a recent Gallup poll, only 37 percent of eligible voters are in favor of bringing the election forward from the planned autumn date to spring, while 50 percent are against it. 13 percent did not express an opinion. According to the survey results, early elections would primarily benefit the FPÖ.

Only a third want a merger
The picture is similar when it comes to the question of merging the National Council elections with the EU elections scheduled for June 9: Only 33 percent would prefer this option, 51 percent are against such a scenario. 16% did not say or had no opinion on the matter. This is according to the "Gallup Sentiment Barometer", for which 1000 people were surveyed (online, survey period 23 to 29 January 2024).

The desire for an early election is particularly high among FPÖ sympathizers at 68%. Curious: On Wednesday, the SPÖ tabled a motion for a new election in the National Council, although only 35% of its supporters can imagine an early election. 26% of NEOS supporters want a new election, while ÖVP and Green supporters are the least enthusiastic about bringing the election forward with 22% each.

FPÖ likely to benefit most from a new election
When asked which party would benefit from an earlier election, 46% said the FPÖ. 17% expect the SPÖ to benefit, 14% named the ÖVP, 10% the Beer Party and 9% the KPÖ. The NEOS only received seven percent in this question, while the Greens were named by six percent. 17% said that no party would benefit and 20% did not say.

For 64% of respondents, the main argument in favor of bringing the election forward is that it would reduce campaign costs, while 63% also found the argument that people would only have to vote once convincing. 56% believe that this would increase voter turnout. 41% responded in the affirmative to the answer option "I am dissatisfied with the current federal government and would like to see a new government formed quickly".

Many want time to form an opinion
According to respondents, the main argument against bringing the elections forward is that citizens should have enough time to "form an opinion for each of the two elections" (57%). 46% fear that important issues could be overlooked in a joint election, while 40% believe that a joint election could overburden citizens. 39% stated that the federal government should have the opportunity to "implement its plans by the end of its term of office".

When asked which issues would be decisive for the election, the "health, care and social affairs" block was mentioned most frequently (62%), followed by the economy (53%), migration and integration (48%), energy policy (45%) and order and security in the country (42%).