A recent survey highlights a significant transformation in how Austrians view their country's Nazi past over the last 40 years, with a diminishing number seeing Austria as Nazi Germany's initial victim and a growing majority acknowledging its complicity in wartime atrocities.
According to the Analytix Institute survey, reported by ORF, only 26 percent of eligible Austrian voters surveyed in 2026 still considered the country to be Nazi Germany's first victim. This figure represents a substantial decrease from 48 percent who held this 'first victim' view in a similar survey conducted in 1987. Conversely, the perception of Austria's complicity in Nazi crimes has risen sharply, with 59 percent agreeing with this view in 2026, up from 24 percent in 1987.
The study was released ahead of the 88th anniversary of the November 1938 pogroms, a period when the Nazi regime unleashed widespread violence against Jewish communities in Germany and Austria. Austria had been annexed by Nazi Germany in March of that year, an event known as the Anschluss.
Comparisons across surveys from 1987, 2008, and 2026 reveal a consistent decline in support for the 'victim thesis' (Opferthese). In 1987, nearly half of respondents believed Austria was the first country victimized by Nazi Germany. This percentage dropped to 33 percent in 2008 and further to 26 percent in 2026. Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents acknowledging Austria's complicity in Nazi crimes steadily increased from 24 percent in 1987 to 48 percent in 2008, reaching 59 percent in the most recent survey.
The 2026 survey polled 1,000 eligible Austrian citizens, matching the sample size of the 1987 study. The 2008 survey involved 500 participants.
Historically, after the Second World War, the re-established Republic of Austria adopted the 'Opferthese,' portraying itself as a victim of German aggression. This narrative, which downplayed the role of Austrians in Nazi crimes, was partly derived from the 1943 Moscow Declaration. While the Declaration recognized Austria as a victim of German aggression, it also stipulated Austria's responsibility for its part in the war. For decades, Austria emphasized the victim aspect of the declaration while giving less weight to its responsibility.
A pivotal moment arrived in 1986 with the international controversy surrounding Kurt Waldheim's military service during the war, which broadened the public debate about Austria's involvement in Nazism. In 1991, then-Chancellor Franz Vranitzky publicly acknowledged in Parliament the responsibility of Austrians for Nazi crimes, effectively repudiating the official stance of Austria as a passive victim.
Regarding awareness of historical events, 63 percent of those surveyed in 2026 reported feeling very or fairly well informed about the events of March 1938, while 33 percent felt poorly or not informed at all. Schools and traditional media were cited as the most frequent sources of information, each by 61 percent of respondents. Museums and memorial sites followed at 40 percent, friends and family at 28 percent, and social media at 12 percent.
Johannes Klotz, one of the study's authors, stated that the findings demonstrate that Austria's culture of historical memory is enduring. Researcher Reinhard Heinisch added that interest in the past does not necessarily diminish with the passing of eyewitnesses, emphasizing the growing importance of schools, museums, and memorials in transmitting this history.
The survey also explored how respondents imagined they would have reacted to the Anschluss in 1938. In 2026, 35 percent either did not know or gave no answer, a significant increase from 10 percent in 1987. Thirty-four percent believed they would have resigned themselves to the situation, down from 50 percent in 1987. Meanwhile, 21 percent thought they would have publicly protested the annexation, up from 14 percent in 1987. Four percent believed they would have engaged in armed resistance, a slight decrease from 5 percent in 1987. The percentage of those who would have welcomed the annexation dropped from 21 percent to 6 percent.
Researchers suggested that fewer people now possess personal or family connections that would help them envision their behavior under a dictatorship. The study was published to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the November 9th and 10th, 1938 pogroms, during which Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed, and thousands of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The Austrian National Fund for Victims of Nazism reports that 40 synagogues were destroyed in Vienna alone during these attacks.
READ ALSO: Why May 15th is a key date for Austrian identity… but not a public holiday
READ ALSO: Vienna tour aims to demystify 'Hitler balcony' after far-right clip
