According to a survey by the market research institute Integral, one in five Austrians surveyed said they had lost friends because they had different opinions on corona measures or vaccinations. In general, the corona pandemic was a lonely time: 63 percent missed their friends very much, 37 percent even so much that they ignored contact restrictions, as one broadcast said.
Topics other than Corona can also put a strain on friendships. Differences of opinion on the Ukraine war led to disagreements among around 22 percent of those surveyed, and 14 percent on climate change.
Overall, six out of ten people (62 percent) have a best friend, according to Integral, celebrating International Friendship Day on July 30. On average, Austrians count six people in their close circle of friends and have a total of almost 20 friendships. The entire circle of acquaintances consists of over 100 people on average.
76 percent of those surveyed measured a good friendship by being there for someone when they needed you. It is almost equally important that your boyfriend or girlfriend is there for you when you need him or her. Also important: that you can talk to each other about everything and that you are honest with each other (74 percent each).
From June 15 to 21, 2022, 500 people representative of the Austrian population aged 16 to 75 were interviewed online for the survey.
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Source: Nachrichten
