New polling reveals deepening voter discontent with ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS government, with approval ratings as frigid as Vienna’s winter streets
The honeymoon, it seems, is well and truly over, according to oe24. Fresh polling data from the Lazarsfeld Society paints a bleak picture for Austria’s governing coalition, with more than half of voters expressing dissatisfaction with the three-party alliance of the conservative ÖVP, centre-left SPÖ, and liberal NEOS.
The survey, conducted between January 19th and 20th amongst 1,000 eligible voters, reveals that 54 percent are dissatisfied with the government’s performance, a figure that climbed one percentage point from the previous week. More troubling still, 39 percent describe themselves as “very dissatisfied,” suggesting not mere disappointment but genuine frustration with the coalition’s direction.
Meanwhile, only 23 percent of Austrians give the government a positive assessment, with a mere 6 percent rating its work as “very good.” The numbers tell a story of a nation losing faith in its political leadership.
Unsurprisingly, the sharpest criticism comes from supporters of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which was excluded from coalition negotiations despite winning the most votes. An overwhelming 91 percent of FPÖ voters express dissatisfaction with the current government, a figure that underscores Austria’s deep political divisions.
Yet discontent isn’t confined to the opposition. Cracks are appearing within the coalition’s own base. Twenty-one percent of NEOS supporters are unhappy with their own party’s participation in government, whilst 19 percent of SPÖ voters share similar misgivings. The ÖVP’s faithful prove most loyal, with only 11 percent expressing dissatisfaction.
Curiously, even Green Party voters whose party sits in opposition, register 29 percent dissatisfaction with the coalition, suggesting broader unease about Austria’s political trajectory.
As winter grips Vienna, the polling suggests an equally cold political climate ahead. Whether this three-party experiment can weather the storm remains to be seen, but the thermometer of public opinion is dropping steadily and the forecast offers little comfort for those in power.
