Growing concerns

Inflation too high: Austrians are running out of patience

14% of Austrians do not see the economy recovering at all - inflation and high costs are the biggest causes for concern.(Bild: Drazen)

Hopes of an imminent economic upturn continue to fade: many Austrians are bracing themselves for a long lean period. A recent IMAS study shows that a growing proportion of the population does not expect a recovery for several years - or no longer believes in it at all.

According to the survey, a quarter of respondents do not see an economic recovery until 2028 or later at the earliest. A further 14% do not expect an upswing until the first half of 2027, while the same number assume that the situation will not recover at all. Many people therefore believe that economic growth is increasingly becoming a distant prospect.

Pessimism has intensified
Compared to the previous year, this pessimistic assessment has increased: the proportion of those who do not expect a recovery for three years or more has risen by four percentage points. In 2023, 19% were still of this opinion. The increase is also particularly significant among those who no longer see any economic recovery at all: At the end of 2025, this figure stood at 14%, double the figure for 2024.

At the same time, optimism is decreasing. At the end of 2025, 41% of respondents could still imagine that the economy would recover - in varying degrees - by the end of 2027. At the end of 2024, however, 51% still assumed that the situation would improve by the end of 2026.

14% of Austrians do not see the economy recovering at all - inflation and high costs are the biggest causes for concern.(Bild: Drazen)

Cost of living the biggest burden
Inflation continues to be the biggest burden. Around 60 percent of Austrians are very worried about rising prices and the cost of living. This is followed by immigration at 45% and the general economic situation in Austria at 44%. Here, too, there is an increase compared to the previous year: inflation and the high cost of living are causing eight and six percentage points more unease than before.

Health is the biggest wish for 2026
Despite the tense mood, the personal wishes for 2026 are dominated by more fundamental hopes. In an open question, just under a quarter of respondents named health for themselves and their family as their most important wish. 17% hope for an improvement in their personal life situation. Twelve percent each want academic or professional success and an end to inflation. Nine percent would like to go on vacation, and the same number hope for an end to the wars.

As in previous years, the desire for good health is therefore in first place. At the end of 2023, almost a third of Austrians had expressed this wish. By contrast, the importance of wars has declined significantly: while it was still important for 21% in 2023, the proportion fell to 17% in 2024 and was only nine percent in 2025.

IMAS surveyed a total of 1022 Austrians aged 16 and over for the study.