Social Peace in Türkiye Survey

About the study

A study conducted while Türkiye was discussing a new political “opening”, examining perceptions of social peace and polarisation, who was held responsible, areas of agreement, and polarisation’s effects on social relationships. The findings suggest that society longed for peace while believing polarisation was increasing.

Key findings

• 63.8% believed there was no social peace in Türkiye. Approximately six in ten said polarisation had increased, while 29.2% said it was unchanged. Four in ten acknowledged becoming more polarised themselves. 36.5% said polarisation had not affected their views, and 25.8% said they were more understanding than before.
• Politicians were seen as chiefly responsible for polarisation, and solutions were also expected from politics. Seven in ten held social media responsible, with an even higher proportion blaming conventional media. Education ranked last, at 58.7%.
• The strongest point of agreement was the country’s territorial integrity (61.7%), followed by national values and family.
• Although 40.3% said ideological differences did not affect their social relationships, differing views did affect friendships. 13% did not want to spend time with people ideologically distant from them, and one in five was never persuaded by differing views. Attitudes hardened when children were involved.

Methodology

Conducted in November 2024 with 1,067 participants, using quotas for gender, age, 2023 voting preference and NUTS1 regional distribution to reflect Türkiye’s population. The reported confidence level was 95%, with a 3% margin of error.

Ertan Aksoy’s assessment (summary)

Ertan Aksoy observes that Türkiye’s political and economic history has been marked by recurrent fluctuations, with crises generally overcome through changes in political leadership. He argues that this time the crisis, normally recurring about every seven years, broke the familiar cycle and deepened polarisation; reconciliation requires a new language and a new understanding of economic distribution.