The poll, conducted by Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance (DÖW), reveals that Austrian society is still firmly to the right on a number of key issues.
The poll found that 50 percent of Austria say “extensive remigraiton is urgently needed.” Another 47 percent agree with the statement that “Austrians are being replaced by migrants.”
A small percentage, 36 percent, say they would not want a Muslim as their neighbor. And even more people, albeit a slightly higher amount at 38 percent, are against Roma and Sinti groups living next to them. Another 1 in 10 said they would not want to live next to a Jewish person. However, a plurality of Austrians accept the idea of having “everyone” as a neighbor, reaching 45 percent. The polling seems to suggest there is a sharp split down the middle of Austrian society.
The war between Israel and Palestine may be a factor, with the poll also asking Austrians about the war there. Reportedly, 42 percent of respondents agree with the statement that “Israel’s policy in Palestine is like that of the Nazis in the Second World War.”
Israel-related anti-Semitism has also increased, said DÖW director Andreas Kranebitter, expressing dissatisfaction with the poll results and adding that “right-wing extremism in Austria should not be underestimated” and that it is a “democratic” problem.
The poll noted that those with an “extreme” right-wing attitude are much more likely to back certain statements, such as the belief that comprehensive remigration is necessary. However, half of all Austrians also happen to agree with this view in total, according to the poll.
The poll classified apprxoimately 10 percent of the Austrian population as “extreme” right, and of these people, 58 percent would vote for the Freedom Party of Austria, and 11 percent for the ÖVP. However, the left-wing SPÖ party actually would receive 17 percent from these voters.
Notably, the FPÖ explicitly supports remigration, which has been promoted at campaign rallies by the party’s leader, Herbert Kickl. The party is currently in first place in polling and finished national elections in first place earlier this year. FPÖ has been blocked from power by other parties in the country, which have united against it to keep it out of government.
The poll was conducted on 2,198 Austrians. It is designed to measure right-wing sentiment in society and will be conducted every year two years.