According to the “Public Perceptions of Turkish Foreign Policy Research 2022,” the rate of those who characterize Turkey as a European country have decreased compared to last year. However, still 54 % support Turkish membership to the EU.
The results of the “Public Perceptions of Turkish Foreign Policy Research 2022” conducted under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın of KHAS since 2013 were announced.
The field studies of the researchurvey carried out in partnership with Kadir Has University Turkey Research Group and Global Academy, were conducted by Akademetre Research and Strategic Planning between May 25 and June 7, 2022 in 26 provinces representing the population structure of Turkey, over the age of 18. It was carried out through face-to-face interviews with 1,000 people.
The project working group for 2022 under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın was formed by Prof. Dr. Mitat Çelikpala (KHAS), Prof. Dr. Sinem Açıkmeşe (KHAS), Prof. Dr. Serhat Güvenç (KHAS), Prof. Dr. Ebru Canan Sokullu (Bahçeşehir University), Assoc. Prof. Özgehan Şenyuva (METU) and Sezen Kaya Sönmez (KHAS).
According to the research, the primary source of news on foreign policy of the society is television for 86.9% of the public. Television is followed by social networks with 46.9 percent and internet news portals with 41.3 percent. Compared to the results of last year’s research, the rate of receiving news from social networks have increased.
Another important data of the study is that 29.1% of the participants characterized Turkey as a European country compared to %40.6 last year while %25.5 say they see Turkey as a Middle Eastern country.
60% of the participants state that Turkey’s NATO membership should continue. While the rate of those who say that membership in the alliance “contributes” to Turkey was 45.6 percent in 2021, this rate increased to 52 percent this year.
Interest in the European Union decreasing yet still important
Another remarkable finding in the research is that public support for the Turkish membership to the EU has decreased this year compared to last year. Last year, 59.3 percent of the participants said that Turkey should become an EU member, but this year this rate has decreased to 54.2 percent.
In terms of the party supporters, 57.7 percent of AKP voters, 65 percent of CHP voters, 39.2 percent of MHP voters, 52 percent of HDP voters and 58.3 percent of IYI Party voters supported Turkey’s membership to the EU.
While 51,6% of the participants say that the most important problem between Turkey and Greece relations is about “sharing of sea areas in the Aegean” 51,6%, 51.4% points to the “armament of the Aegean islands.”
One of the interesting results of the survey is that 45.7% of the public support the recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, if the Cyprus dispute is resolved.
45.5 of the participants percent stated that the Cyprus dispute could only be resolved on the basis of “annexing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to Turkey”, while the rate of those who said that “a bi-communal and bi-zonal federal Cyprus State should be established” increased to 37.6 percent.