Study: 40% of Austrians see Muslims negatively

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Four out of 10 Austrians have a negative attitude toward Muslims living in the Alpine country, according to an official survey released Friday. A summary of the report, released by Austria's interior ministry, also shows that 37 percent of Austrians have a neutral attitude toward their Muslim neighbors and that 23% have a positive mind-set. The report was based on telephone interviews with 2,000 Austrians, 251 Turks and 253 Bosnians. While Muslims tend to see discipline, punctuality and neatness as positive traits of their Austrian neighbors, they identified a lack of solidarity, poor family life and a lack of sociability as negative traits. The report also showed that about 38% of Muslims interviewed would like to see Islam having a bigger influence on Austrian politics and society.