New survey shows:

ÖVP is no longer number one among the middle class

ÖVP party headquarters in Vienna

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

The ÖVP has apparently lost its reputation as the party of the middle class. At least that is the conclusion of a Gallup survey of 1000 respondents aged 14 and over. According to the survey, only 17% believe that the ÖVP represents the interests of this group. Three years ago, this figure was almost one in three people (31 percent).

The SPÖ now achieved the best result with 19 percent, while the FPÖ also reached 17 percent. For the three parties, a "three-way battle for the center" is thus emerging, with 36% of respondents in this group (fluctuation range three percentage points). The NEOS received almost nine percent. However, almost one in five people do not see any party in the National Council as representing the middle class. A further 14% of respondents said they did not know which party was committed to the middle class.

ÖVP party headquarters in Vienna

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

"If more than a third of people in Austria today do not see a party for the middle class in any of the National Council parties, then politicians need to wake up," said survey initiator Wolfgang Lusek. "If the middle class is pushed out of the center and no longer finds a place in the political decision-making process, everyone will lose prosperity and the economy will lose its backbone," warned Trade Association President Peter Lieber.

If more than a third of people in Austria today do not see a middle class party in any of the National Council parties, then politicians need to wake up.

Wolfgang Lusek, Umfrageinitiator

Not benefiting from lobbying
According to the survey, fewer and fewer people have the impression that the middle class benefits from lobbying. Only four percent said this, with corporations, politics and the financial sector seen as the biggest beneficiaries. The respondents believe that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small and medium-sized businesses in particular can help the country move forward. Citizens' initiatives took third place (29%), ahead of politics and governments (28%). SMEs are associated with values such as performance, sustainability, fairness, the self-employed and employees young and old.

Assertiveness is not ascribed to them. Another result is that the majority of respondents are in favor of "less state control". Only a quarter understand if someone lives from social benefits rather than employment. According to them, the extent to which the state uses taxes and which companies receive subsidies should be freely accessible. "(...) Our elected representatives need these facts if the state as a whole is to meet the challenges of our time (...)", says Lieber.

Politics a "danger for the business location"
Politics is "in its ignorance" a danger for the business location, said the Chairman of the Senate of Economy, Hans Harrer. The survey was conducted online among 1000 respondents aged 14 and over. It is representative of the Austrian population.