In the representative survey (1,000 respondents aged 14 and over) commissioned by the Center Lobby, Trade Association and Senate of Economic Affairs, only 17 percent assume that the ÖVP represents the interests of medium-sized businesses, compared to 31 percent in 2020. The SPÖ achieved the best value with a stable 19 percent, the FPÖ increased from 9 to 17 percent.
For the three associations, a “three-way battle for the middle” is emerging, which, according to the survey, 36 percent of those surveyed feel they belong to (fluctuation range: 3 percentage points). At the same time, compared to 2020, the proportion of voters who do not see any of the National Council parties as a middle-class party has almost doubled to 20 percent. Another 14 percent said they didn’t know which party was committed to helping small and medium-sized businesses.
“Prosperity is losing its backbone”
“If the middle class is pushed out of the middle and no longer finds a place in the political decision-making process, everyone will lose prosperity and the economy will lose its backbone,” warned trade association president Peter Lieber, according to the press release. Citizens and companies wanted to know what was happening with their money and whether it was fair for them and for everyone. “We are in international competition and must not lose touch with the wealthy world just because the well-known cliques benefit from resistance to reform.”
The survey results also show that “the gap between the middle class, which is recognized as the main performers, and the world of corporations and politics, which is seen as lobbying profiteers,” is becoming ever larger, said Lobby der Mitte chairman Wolfgang Lusak. According to the Gallup survey, fewer and fewer respondents have the impression that medium-sized businesses benefit from lobbying. The value here has fallen from 27 to 4 percent since 2020. From the perspective of those surveyed, the influence on small and medium-sized businesses has now fallen to 13 percent, and on civil servants, non-profit and social organizations it has halved. Corporations (74 percent), politics (66) and the financial sector (41) are still seen as the biggest beneficiaries of lobbying.
“We are putting our democracy at risk”
For Hans Harrer, chairman of the Senate of Economic Affairs, “politics in its ignorance of small and medium-sized businesses” is a danger to the business location; he accused the media of “glorifying” trends such as the 4-day or 32-hour week. Politics must awaken from its slumber, the media must end its “ideology-driven manipulations” and the population must “finally support a strengthening of the middle class”. “Otherwise we risk not only the loss of jobs and wealth, but also our democracy and social peace.”
