"Krone" survey

Security, terror, control – what makes the country tick!

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

After the foiled "Swift terror plan", the "Krone" wanted to know what the current feeling of (in)security in the country is like. With the exception of young people, there is also strong support for digital surveillance.

Terror threat; what threat at all?" - Many leading security experts ask this question when they are once again desperately trying to calibrate the current fear in the country. People's subjective sense of security is clearly suffering. This is demonstrated by the latest figures from a survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research and Data Analysis on behalf of the "Krone" newspaper:

1) The general feeling of security in Austria is divided. While a total of 50 percent of the 1,250 respondents rated their sense of security as "high" or "very high", it is remarkable that only 18 percent of the population rated their sense of security as "low" or "very low". A closer look shows: Women feel more insecure than men.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Quelle: IFDD)

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Quelle: IFDD)

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Quelle: IFDD)

Younger people are more afraid
2) The fear of terrorist attacks is still present in the population. Overall, 61% of respondents are "worried" or "very worried" about the threat situation. Fear is particularly high among younger respondents, especially those under 30, 27% of whom said they were very worried. In comparison, concern is somewhat less pronounced among the over 50s. Here, only around 14% said they were very concerned.

3) A key question also concerned attitudes towards the state monitoring electronic communications to defend against terrorism. There is widespread agreement here: 63% of respondents are either completely or somewhat in favor of such measures. Approval is particularly strong among the older population, while younger respondents under the age of 30 are much more skeptical.

The survey results reflect the complex security situation in the country. Many also view state surveillance critically.

Christoph Haselmayer, Leiter Institut für Demoskopie und Datenanalyse

Bild: krone.tv

4) The bare figures also show a divided opinion among respondents on the question of whether intelligence services and investigative authorities have been given sufficient legal means by the Ministry of Justice to take effective action against terrorism. Only eight percent feel that the existing possibilities are completely sufficient, while 30 percent rate them as insufficient and 17 percent feel that the existing restrictions are too great. This indicates widespread skepticism as to whether the current counter-terrorism measures are really sufficient. The need for stricter rules is particularly emphasized in rural areas.

5) Trust in the domestic intelligence services and investigative authorities is rather moderate. Only 25 percent of respondents have a "high" or "very high" level of trust in these institutions, while the majority of 45 percent say they have a medium level of trust. When it comes to effective counter-terrorism measures, the overwhelming majority of respondents (82%) are in favor of international cooperation and information sharing. This underlines the population's awareness of the global dimension of terrorism.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com, Quelle: IFDD)

6) Incidentally, the willingness to restrict personal freedoms in favor of greater security exists among the population, but is by no means uncontroversial. Around 39% of respondents are either completely or somewhat willing to accept such restrictions. At the same time, however, there is also a considerable proportion of 33% who are somewhat or completely opposed to such restrictions ...