08 April 2010
The majority of Austrians say Islam is a "threat to the western world", a new survey says.
Pollsters IMAS found that 54 per cent of Austrians agreed with the statement "Islam poses a threat for the west and our familiar lifestyle".
IMAS officials said Wednesday that only 19 per cent disagreed, while 27 per cent were undecided.
The agency interviewed 1,000 Austrians older than 16 for its representative survey.
It found that Austrians older than 50, people with lower education and those living in the countryside feared Islam the most.
Another result of the research is that 72 per cent of Austrians believed Muslims would "not stick to the rules" when it comes to living in Austria. Only one in ten of the Austrians the agency spoke to said they disagreed with the allegation that Muslims were badly integrated in the country.
Seventy-one per cent said they were of the opinion that Islam "does not match western beliefs in democracy, freedom and tolerance". Only 11 per cent said they saw no friction between the religion and the mentioned values.
The poll was taken as Austrians prepare to vote on April 25 to elect a new president, a largely honorific but above all moral figurehead. Outgoing Social Democrat Heinz Fischer, who is almost certain to be re-elected, is standing against two candidates who are hostile to immigration: Barbara Rosenkranz, on the extreme right, who wants to restore border controls, and Rudolf Gehring, who heads the Christian party fervently opposed to the building of minarets.
IMAS said they did not find a strong relationship between political affiliation and people's doubts concerning Islam apart from the fact that a majority of those supporting the Greens rejected all Islam-critical statements the study confronted them with.
Among extreme right-wing voters, 78 percent said they see Islam as a threat. No figure was available for the Christian party. Among supporters of the Green ecologist party, only 16 percent of the population held that view, well below the average in the general population.
Around 500,000 Muslims live in Austria.
Sources:
"Majority say Islam is a 'threat'" Austrian Independent April 7, 2010
"More than half of Austrians ‘threatened’ by Islam" Daily Times April 8, 2010
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