Austrian Social Democrats want to finance media subscriptions for young voters – POLITICO

“This would make it possible to allocate public funds according to the quality of media content rather than their distribution, as is currently the case,” explains RSF.

The SPÖ proposes that the state subsidize up to 150 euros per year of media subscriptions for every Austrian aged 16 to 30.

According to a 2024 digital news report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in collaboration with the University of Oxford, only 35% of respondents in Austria expressed trust in the news, the highest lowest level observed in the country since its inclusion in the report in 2015.

Austria holds national elections at the end of September. In the European elections, in which Austrians elected 20 representatives to the European Parliament, the SPÖ placed third with 23.2 percent, behind the Austrian People’s Party (24.5 percent) and the Freedom Party from Austria (25.4 percent).

In order to attract more young voters before the national election, the SPÖ also wants to offer free access to football matches.

“Football belongs to all of us and must be freely accessible to all,” said party leader Andi Babler.