Wyniki wyborów w Austrii w latach 2015–2016 w kontekście kryzysu imigracyjnego oraz odradzania się ksenofobii i nacjonalizmu
The results of Austrian elections in 2015 and 2016 in the context of the migration crisis and the rebirth of xenophobia and nationalism

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to analyze the excessive political-cultural consequences of the European migration crisis in Austria, especially its impact on the results of state elections held in that country in 2015 and presidential election held in 2016. The research shows that in 2015 the dramatic growth of negative stances towards immigrants and refugees took place in the Austrian society. This had a very important impact on the national political scene, as a right-wing populist party, namely Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) managed to achieve a great electoral success in all four state elections held in 2015 in Austria, detriment of other, moderate, political parties. According to the opinion of the author, rather than the current refugee crisis, the combination of other factors is responsible for the radicalization of Austrian society, such as: fear of worsening of a very high living standard due to globalization as well as a xenophobic attitude of significant parts of the Austrian population towards hundreds of thousands of foreigners coming to Austria in the last decades. What is more, those foreigners are perceived as a threat for the domestic labour market, a growing burden on the federal budget as well as a threat for the Austrian national identity.

• Details
• Contents