IMAS Poll: Austria Sees Itself as a Deeply Divided Country

Immigration as the Most Important Fault Line

Following at a clear distance in second place is the topic area of politics and government, cited by 35 percent of respondents as a fault line. This also appears to reflect mistrust toward the political establishment and its institutions.

The study was conducted by the Linz-based institute IMAS and released on Wednesday. It fits into a series of surveys in which growing social polarization in Austria has been repeatedly identified in recent years.

Politics and Government in Second Place

For policymakers, the result poses a twofold challenge: on the one hand, migration, integration, and religious-policy issues rank high on the list of perceived conflicts; on the other, the functioning of politics and government itself is seen as divisive.

Observers regard such polls as an indication that the culture of debate in Austria is increasingly shaped by opposing camps. Social conflicts are consequently perceived not only at the margins, but in the broad mainstream of the population.

Background: Polarization in Europe

International comparative data had shown in recent years that the sense of social division is not a purely Austrian phenomenon. In other European countries as well, surveys report growing polarization along similar issues.

The IMAS survey should therefore probably be read primarily as a snapshot of public mood and less as an exact measurement of concrete conflicts. It provides information on how people in Austria experience their everyday life, their neighborhoods, and their political environment – and precisely this experience is shaped by rifts.

For the upcoming political debates, the poll thus provides a kind of map of the issues along which society rubs up against itself. Those who want to strengthen social cohesion will have to start with immigration, social systems, the handling of religions, as well as the capacity of politics and government to reform.