Aufstieg und Fall der FPO aus der Perspektive der Empirischen Wahlforschung: Eine Langzeitanalyse (1986-2004)

In: Osterreichische Zeitschrift fur Politikwissenschaft, Band 33, Heft 3, S. 263-279

Abstract

In the 1980s & 1990s, the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) was rather successful in opposing the grand coalition. The FPO gained its voters to the same extent from the Social Democratic Party (SPO) & the People's Party (OVP). Whereas the OVP lost most of their voters to the FPO in the late 1980s, the SPO faced larger voter losses in the 1990s. With the FPO's entrance into federal government, however, its descent began -- which found its first expression in the regional elections in 2000 & has continued up to now (with the exception of Carinthia). The federal elections in 2002 resulted in the largest voter transition Austria has ever experienced, with 633,000 people switching from FPO to OVP. The voting motives of voters reflect disappointment with the FPO as well as satisfaction with the government. These drifters share a similar self-classification with other OVP voters in the "center" of the political Left-Right continuum as well as a critical attitude toward the trade unions. Although the most confirmed skeptics toward foreigners & Jews still vote for the FPO, FPO-OVP, drifters are nevertheless more depreciative than the other OVP voters. An important result of the analysis is that the Left-Right self-classification as well as the closeness to different political orientations have been subject to strong alterations in recent years. The change of government & other political developments have led to a shift in the meaning of essential political terms. 12 Tables, 15 References. Adapted from the source document.