Public Trust Erodes; Austrians Doubt Government on Rising Food Prices
Austria’s government is facing harsh skepticism over its ability to curb soaring food prices. A new Unique Research poll conducted for Heute shows only 24 percent of citizens believe the coalition can take effective measures against the surge in grocery costs, which remain a key driver of August’s 4.1 percent inflation, according to “Heute”.
The verdict is bleak: just five percent of respondents expressed “absolute” confidence in the government. By contrast, 35 percent said they “rather” do not trust it, while a third (33 percent) were certain it would fail.
Even among party loyalists, faith is limited. Supporters of the ruling ÖVP and the opposition SPÖ showed the highest optimism, yet only 37 percent expressed confidence. Surprisingly, voters of the opposition Greens (29 percent) were more trusting than those of the liberal NEOS (25 percent), a governing partner. Confidence was lowest among Freedom Party (FPÖ) supporters: only 13 percent said they believed the coalition could act, while 53 percent rejected the idea outright.
Demographics told a similar story. Women were more hopeful than men (28 vs. 19 percent). Young adults aged 16 to 29 showed the least confidence (19 percent), while middle-aged and older groups hovered around 24–25 percent. Education levels made little difference: skepticism dominated across the board.
Political analyst Peter Hajek of Unique Research described the results as a sign of widespread frustration. “Expectations are low — even among government supporters,” he said. Whether the distrust reflects doubts about competence or the difficulty of intervening in food prices remains unclear. Hajek noted, however, that only five percent of respondents opposed state price interventions outright.
