The so-called “Austro-Light” could boost its popularity among the population in a remarkably simple way: by abolishing the controversial ORF fee.
A recent survey by Unique Research for the daily newspaper Today shows that a majority of Austrians support this demand.
Since the introduction of the ORF budget fee, every Austrian household – in addition to state taxes in some federal states – is charged a sum of around 183 euros per year.
As of January 1, the next deduction will be made for those who pay the amount in a year-end settlement. However, the acceptance of this fee remains a highly controversial topic.
According to the survey, 54 percent of Austrians are against the budget fee. This rejection runs through almost all political camps – with the exception of the green electorate, which largely supports the fee.
The picture is particularly clear among FPÖ voters: here, a full 81 percent demand the abolition of the ORF fee. Even among SPÖ voters, a majority of 52 percent are against the compulsory fee.
Interesting is the stance of ÖVP supporters. Despite the repeated criticism of the party about the current ORF financing, 57 percent of the party’s voters support the budget fee. This discrepancy between party leadership and base suggests a certain lack of unity on the issue of media financing.
The greatest support for the ORF fee is shown by the Greens’ supporters: 61 percent support the financing of the public broadcaster. This reflects the ideological closeness of the green electorate to issues like independent journalism and state cultural promotion.
The abolition of the ORF fee would be a simple way for the government to score points with a large part of the population. In particular, the FPÖ could benefit from this topic, as it is the loudest advocate for the abolition.
However, for the government, the question arises of how to handle this issue. A reform of media financing could ease the conflict, but it would also be a risky balancing act between the different interests of its voter groups.