Austria trusts the economy more than politics
While trust in politics and the state is falling, trust in domestic companies is increasing. Overall, however, the population paints a bleak picture for the future.
Price increases, energy crisis, staff shortages: the domestic economy is currently being asked to manage multiple in parallel. Despite the increasing challenge, the confidence of Austrians does not seem to be falling. The majority are convinced that companies act as drivers of the overall economy. On the one hand by creating jobs and on the other hand by investing in research and innovation. These are considered the basis for promoting new technologies, as the future monitor of the Federation of Industry in cooperation with the Institute for Empirical Social Research (IFES) shows.
A bleak picture of the mood for the () future in the country can be drawn from the 1,200 surveys conducted: Although almost two-thirds are basically satisfied with their living situation, 64 percent – roughly two out of three represented – are of the opinion that Move Austria in a wrong direction. Among them, a quarter of those who expressly stated that they see the country clearly on the wrong path and only three percent consider the “path taken” to be “clearly correct”.
Path means, among other things, how the political situation is developing in this country, explains IFES Managing Director Reinhard Raml. Without judging specific decision-makers, but rather the political system itself. “People would like the political actors to close ranks and not have one subcommittee after the next. The disagreement in the federal government also has a direct impact on people’s trust.” Although support was strong at the beginning of the pandemic – also because the population was omnipresent – there is currently a stronger feeling that inflation and the energy crisis are letting them down being left alone, he summarizes.
While in a constant 31 percent the larger proportion believes in a good strategy of politicians and decision-makers, only 19 percent of the population in unchanged pull this string.
Multiple increase in quality of life
The majority of employees in Austria took the wrong turn, only 40 percent of the self-employed agree with the direction. Age also plays a decisive role: a quarter of those under 30 trust in politics, the proportion drops between 40 and 49 years: only 19 percent are convinced. The trust value is highest – at 33 percent – among those who are said to be over 70 years of age.
“It has been a long time since so many people felt that Austria was developing in the wrong direction. The political system is required to find answers to the many challenges and to show the population a credible and constructive path for the coming months. State institutions such as Austria and Austria’s companies ensure stability and have gained trust in the past year, judicial policy has lost a lot of it,” says IFES Managing Director Reinhard Raml.
From an unexpected point of view, the coming years will be shaped by the plurality of crises: in addition to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the uncertain prospects for continued individual well-being and lead to individual quality of life.
Digitization welcome at work, less privately
The influence of digitization in the world of work should be rated positively: the possibility of using home office and simplifying processes. “People are less worried about using automated and digital processes at work. They are more reserved when it comes to integration into leisure time and family,” says Raml.
In general, the potential for improvement through digitization is rated higher than the concern of being replaced as a worker. When asked how digitization will develop in the next three years, people in Austria react primarily with uncertainty. In particular, the impact on family life is not foreseeable for almost every second person, around a quarter expect positive and 15 percent expect negative. More than half also do not dare to assess leisure time, a third sees beneficial developments, 15 percent assume that it WILL lead to negative effects.
It seems unclear to many whether the economic and political climate in Austria is favorable for business start-ups. There are groups of roughly the same size who consider the climate to be favorable or unfavorable. Only 24 percent of older people are striving for a career as an entrepreneur, compared to 34 percent of young people. 43 percent actively opposed this, although it is still necessary to wait and see. Because: A third will not be committed due to the many uncertainties at the moment.