Trust in leaders decreased in Turkey in 2014: report

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Trust in political leaders decreased and the military was once again the most trusted body in Turkey in 2014, according to a recent survey conducted by Kadir Has University and released on Jan. 20.

Trust in the presidency fell slightly, from 40.7 percent in 2013 to 40.5 percent in 2014, according to the “Social-Political trends in Turkey” survey conducted by the university among 1,000 people in 26 cities across Turkey.

The country's opposition parties also failed to gain more support in 2014 among respondents, with the number of respondents who found the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) "successful" decreasing from 19.6 percent to 15.4 percent. The rate of respondents who found CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu "successful" also decreased from 19 percent to 13 percent, the survey showed.

Those who said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was "successful" made up only 33.8 percent of respondents, a decline from 38.7 percent when current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the prime minister.

Trust in the military increased from 51.7 percent to 57.7 percent, making the military again the most trusted institution in Turkey in 2014, according to the survey results.

Meanwhile, those who believe the media is free in Turkey decreased from 30.8 percent to 27.5 percent.

In terms of the most important issues on Turkish citizens' agenda, unemployment and the economy were revealed as the most pressing matters among respondents.

Separately, 50 percent of respondents said they believe in the existence of the “parallel structure,” a term used by the government for the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whose members allegedly infiltrated into key state positions. However, only three percent of respondents said they think the "parallel structure" is the most important problem facing Turkey.