Turks showing less interest in politicians on social media: Research
ISTANBUL
Nearly 60 percent of Turks do not follow politicians on social media, while 25 percent only follow politicians who they agree with, a new research has found.
According to a social media research conducted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), with 1,512 people in 26 Turkish provinces, the vast majority of citizens prefer to use social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook.
While 25 percent of the participants of the research said they rarely participated in political discussions on social media, only 6 percent stated that they frequently got involved in these discussions.
More than 68 percent of the participants said they have never participated in any political discussion on social media.
Some 36 percent of the respondents answered, “I do not agree,” when asked “social media helps me get to know politicians better.”
Nearly 33 percent of the participants agreed on the same question, while 15 percent stated that they neither agree nor disagree.
Approximately 45 percent of the respondents stated that they never follow political discussions and 35.2 percent of them are rarely interested.
Almost one-fifth of the participants stated that they frequently follow political discussions on social media.
Some 44 percent of the respondents disagree with the interpretation that social media discussions are more persuasive than face-to-face discussions.
Four-fifths of the respondents said they do not trust the political posts of fake accounts they follow on social media.
In the survey, almost 80 percent of respondents answered “yes” to the question on whether fake accounts on social media should be banned or not.
When asked which political party is the strongest in social media, 38 percent answered the AKP.
The AKP was followed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) with 17 percent, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) with 2.1 percent, and İYİ (Good) Party with 1.7 percent.
The results of the study were presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
