Turkish middle class 'loves malls'

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

67 percent of participants say they spend a lot of time at shopping malls. DHA photo

Most members of Turkey’s middle class adhere to conservative religious values and are very fond of shopping in malls, according to a recent survey conducted by a polling company.

Some 85 percent of Turkey’s middle-classes find peace in their faith in God, while 67 percent of them indicate that their lives are guided by their religious beliefs, the survey conducted by IPSOS KMG found.

The poll’s definition of middle-class refers to individuals who are able to spend more than $10 a day in terms of purchasing power parity, as defined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Some 72 percent of those surveyed said they fulfilled the requirements of their religion, while 67 percent said they carefully watched their expenditure, despite the fact that they spend a lot of time at malls. Another 67 percent said they refrained from buying things they did not need.

According to the above definition, the middle-class constitutes about 43.5 million people in Turkey, corresponding to 59 percent of its nearly 75 million-strong population. Their numbers have increased by almost 2 million over the past year, according to IPSOS KMG.

Some 71 percent of respondents said both the man and the woman should contribute to their families’ income. In addition, even though 68 percent indicated that women should to participate in work life more actively, 64 percent said women should not work without their husbands’ permission. Watching TV, visiting friends and relatives, and cooking ranked as the middle-class’ most popular activities. Reading magazines, watching opera, ballet or going to the theater and vacationing abroad are the leisure activities in which respondents took part the least.

Some 58 percent indicated they held no driver’s license, while 87 percent said they did not have a passport.