Community elections 2025: Expectations and challenges for Lower Austria

Community elections 2025: Expectations and challenges for Lower Austria

A current survey clearly shows that the expectations of citizens are extremely high before the municipal elections in January 2025. Johannes Pressl, President of the Lower Austrian and Austrian Association, emphasized in St. Pölten that the citizens pay particular attention to topics such as local care. Although the municipal policy is part of the larger political context, it still has very high degree of trust.

The survey carried out by the Institute for Demoscopy and Data Analysis (IFDD) showed an interesting “patient situation”: 52 percent of the confidence of local politics surveyed, while 45 percent do not do so. In comparison, trust in federal politics is significantly lower, with only 25 percent of the votes for and 73 percent against trust. In addition, 71 percent believe that the office of mayor should be exercised as a full -time position.

expectations in change

The survey also shows that the expectations of the population have undergone the services of its communities. Where the topics of water and sewage supply and schools used to be in focus, topics such as the financing of medical practices and local suppliers and the provision of ATMs are now in the foreground. Pressl pointed out the complexity of this "tension", since for many of these services there is often a lack of responsibility or the financial resources are not sufficient.

In addition, three out of four respondents believe that a contribution by second residential sites to use the municipal infrastructure would be fair. Pressl said that this topic is already being worked on, especially in cooperation with the SPÖ community representative association.

The survey also resulted in surprising results with regard to social commitment in the communities. 52 percent of the participants stated that they were not looking for contact with their neighbors, and 47 percent do not want to get involved in the community in the long term. The willingness to participate therefore seems to be limited, although many would rather get involved in projects.

An important topic in the discussion was also the traffic; The maintenance of the streets is considered a primary task by the respondents. 69 percent of those surveyed stated that they never or rarely use public transport in their community. Less than a quarter of the respondents are in favor of a speed limit of 30 km/h in the local area, while the overwhelming majority is against it.

elections in January 2025

The opinions on the vacancy tax were mostly positive, and many respondents expressed concerns about too much area sealing in their community. However, Pressl warned that without a certain level of growth, the infrastructure does not remain sustainable. He preferred a motivating strategy instead of a tax burden in the form of a vacancy tax.

The survey was carried out in the week of the National Council election, between 23 and 29 September, among 2,400 citizens with the main residence in Lower Austria, by means of computer assisted web interview (CAWI). The results indicate high expectations and the need for changes in local politics, which could be of decisive importance for the upcoming elections. Details on the survey can be found on noe.orf.at