2 new polls: Almost 80% of Austrians oppose NATO membership, want to remain militarily neutral.

[Tender Branson]

New TQS poll about the Russia/Ukraine War and what Austria thinks about it:

18% join NATO
76% remain neutral

http://www.blog.tqs.at/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TQS_So-denkt-Oesterreich-Ukraine.pdf

New Gallup poll about it:

14% join NATO
78% remain neutral

https://gallup.at/fileadmin/documents/PDF/marktstudien/2022/PA_Gallup_Charts_Grosze_Angst_vor_globalen_Folgen_des_Ukraine-Krieges_03032022.pdf

Austrians support all sanctions against Russia (economic and airline bans) and help for Ukraine by huge margins though.

You can download the PDFs of the surveys on your computer and translate the documents from German to English on Google Translate if you like.

There are a lot of interesting questions in it.

 

[Tender Branson]

What is kinda bizarre though:

While 8 out of 10 Austrians want to remain neutral, some 50% of Austrians also favour the creation of a joint European military - while only some 40% are opposed.

While of course understandable in the current environment, both cannot exist at the same time in the case of Austria: either give up neutrality and join a common EU army and become a military target for Russia, or remain militarily neutral and not join it.

 

[Slartibartfast]

That's their country's choice. I think its dumb, but its not up to me.

 

[Tender Branson]

That's their country's choice. I think its dumb, but its not up to me.

Why do you think it’s dumb ?

Austria agreeing to be forever neutral militarily and never join Germany again after WW2 was the main reason the 4 occupying forces (US, Soviets, UK and France) left the country in 1955. It was their main demand.

 

[Tender Branson]

Only one of our 6 major political parties are in favour of giving up everlasting military neutrality:

Liberal NEOS, who argues for a joint EU army (as do all liberal parties in the EU parliament).

All other parties, ranging from Conservatives to Social Democrats to Far Right Populist Nationalists to Greens to Vaccination Sceptic Tinfoil Hat wearing esoterics and conspiracy theorists all support neutrality and the status quo.