Bitter poll for Erdogan
The majority of young Turks want to go abroad
06/01/2023, 8:28 p.m
A representative survey of 18 to 25-year-olds from Turkey reveals frightening things about President Erdogan. Not only do almost two-thirds of them want to leave the troubled country: almost every one of those surveyed sees problems with issues such as corruption or economic conditions.
According to a survey, a large number of young Turks would like to leave their country. 63 percent would leave Turkey if the opportunity arose, according to a preliminary publication of the representative Turkish Youth Study 2023 by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Almost half named the prospect of better living conditions as the main motivation. People between the ages of 18 and 25 were interviewed.
61.3 percent said they were struggling with economic problems in their education. Almost all of the respondents (98.4 percent) see problems in Turkey – with regard to the economic situation, law and justice, unemployment, nepotism, corruption and bribery.
According to official figures, inflation in Turkey is currently 44 percent, and the national currency has lost significant value. Economists blame President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies for this. The majority of respondents were also clearly dissatisfied with the government’s refugee policy (91.8 percent). According to the United Nations, almost four million refugees live in Turkey, 3.4 million of them from neighboring Syria. Around two-thirds of those surveyed stated that refugees should be sent back to their home countries, and a good 80 percent even named refugees as a threat to Turkey’s future.
The topic of refugees had also determined the election campaign in advance of the votes for parliament and the presidency. Both the opposition and the ruling AKP announced that they wanted to get refugees out of Turkey. The survey was conducted before the election.