Turkish youth more likely to trust international organizations: survey

Turks between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely to find international organizations such as the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and NATO trustworthy, according to the findings of a survey conducted in March.

The “Turkish Perceptions of the European Union” public opinion survey, conducted by The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), was conducted in 27 Turkish provinces between March 2 and 26, 2022, in face-to-face interviews, with 2,180 respondents representing Turkey’s adult population, to shed light on public perceptions of the EU, EU-Turkish relations and Turkish foreign policy.

“While not one of the key drivers, public opinion has increasingly become an important factor impacting foreign policy in democratic countries,” an article on the GMF website presenting the findings said.

Among Turks aged between 18-24, 60.7 percent of respondents, as opposed to 47.7 percent of the general population, said they trust the EU, while 47.3 percent, as opposed to 39.4 percent of the general population, said they trust NATO. 

Fully 61.6 percent of the 18-24 age group said they trust the ECtHR, contrasted with 48.3 percent of the general population.

When asked about which country or group of countries Turkey should cooperate most closely with on international issues, 33.1 percent of respondents preferred the EU countries, 5.6 percent preferred Russia, 6.8 percent preferred China and 4.7 percent preferred the United States, while 24.6 percent of respondents wanted Turkey to act alone.

“It was observed that acting together with the EU countries on international problems was explicitly preferred more by the respondents in the 18–24 age group. 44.4% of respondents in this age group wanted to cooperate more closely with the EU countries as opposed to 33.1% in the general population,” the survey findings said.

When asked about which country or group of countries should have a say in solving global problems to improve the lives of the majority of humanity, 35.6 percent preferred the EU, followed by China with 6.0 percent and the United States with 5.8 percent. Those who preferred Russia stood at 3.8 percent.

Respondents in the 18–24 age group were more inclined to expect better results for most of humanity if the EU was more influential in solving global problems, according to the survey’s findings, as 43.8 percent of them preferred the EU countries as opposed to 35.6 percent of the general population.

According to a survey titled “Turkish Youth 2021” the majority of young people in Turkey tend to have a pessimistic outlook on the future of the country, especially as regards the economic situation and their own life, focused mainly on the cost of living, inflation and the fear of a potential economic collapse.

The survey revealed that the majority of Turks between the ages of 18 and 25, which includes 7 million people, want to live abroad.