Poll says terror is the biggest problem in Turkey

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Some 67.1 percent of Turkish people consider terror to be Turkey’s biggest problem, while only 17.2 percent find economic problems more important.

A majority of Turks have indicated that they consider “terror” to be Turkey’s most important problem for the first time, putting the issue ahead of economic difficulties, according to a survey conducted among 3,000 people.

Some 67.1 percent of Turkish people consider terror to be Turkey’s biggest problem, while only 17.2 percent find economic problems more important, according to a survey recently conducted by the Sonar Research Center.

Unemployment ranked in third place at 8.7 percent, while 6.1 percent say Turkey’s biggest problem is education.

The results of the report, “Political Approaches in Turkey,” also showed that 61.2 percent of Turkish society objected the idea of negotiations between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to solve the Kurdish question. Only 10.2 percent of participants said negotiations should definitely be held, while 10.8 percent said it was possible to negotiate if the PKK lays down its arms.

On the other hand, 76.4 percent of Turkish society finds the Turkish Armed Forces to be the most trustworthy institution in the country.

When participants were asked if they were hopeful about Turkey’s economic situation in the coming years, 23.2 percent said they were optimistic that the economy would get better, while 42.9 percent said they thought it would remain the same and 26.8 percent said it would worsen. When the participants were asked their opinion about the presidential system for Turkey, 44, 8 percent answered the current political system of Turkey was already good enough. Unlikely 22, 6 percent said presidential system was better while 32, 6 percent had no idea on topic.