A new survey has revealed that 41.2% of students in Vienna’s elementary and middle schools identify as Muslim, making them the largest religious group among schoolchildren in the city, reported by Puls 24. In comparison, Christian students make up a total of 34.5%, with 17.5% being Roman Catholic and 14.5% Orthodox Christian.
About 23% of students have no religious affiliation, while very small numbers follow Buddhism (0.2%) or Judaism (0.1%). Other religious groups make up 0.9%. The data includes around 112,600 students across elementary, middle, special education, and vocational schools.
NEOS politician Andrea Emmerling highlighted that Vienna continues to encourage interfaith understanding and peaceful coexistence. She stressed the importance of teaching values such as human dignity, democracy, gender equality, and acceptance from a young age.
However, Emmerling raised concerns over studies showing that Muslim youth in Vienna are, on average, more religious and often hold intolerant views. These include antisemitism, opposition to LGBTIQ rights, and rejection of equal rights for women.
She firmly stated, “No one in Vienna should shape their lives based on extremist beliefs that go against equality, democracy, or the rights of minorities.”
To address these issues, Emmerling proposed a new school subject called “Living in a Democracy” for all students from elementary school onwards. She said this would provide a shared foundation in values and ethics. She also praised NEOS Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr for already working on such a plan.
