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Disillusionment with Austria’s federal government is deepening, with recent surveys highlighting a dramatic erosion of public trust amid rising inflation and growing social unrest, according to a Lazarsfeld study conducted in late May.
61% of respondents shared that they do not care if the governing coalition lasts or not. The population seems to be apathetic about their own country, since almost two-thirds of the population deems it a ‘lost cause.’ Austrians continue to grapple with high inflation and soaring energy costs, while the government is perceived as jumping from crisis to crisis.
Criticism has mounted over Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger’s foreign aid commitments, with many Austrians frustrated by generous international spending while domestic struggles grow more severe. “Many people here no longer know how to pay their rent,” notes the Exxpress. Meanwhile, State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn has come under fire for purchasing a fleet of luxury ministerial cars funded by taxpayer money.
Simultaneously, a spike in violence and Islamic radicalization has further shaken the country. A bloody attack in Graz and the trial of a 16-year-old suspected IS supporter in Linz, who allegedly promoted Islamic State ideology at school, have intensified the sense of insecurity.
