The level of support for EU membership among the Turkish citizens rose  13 points over the last year. In view of the fact that Turkey-EU relations have been revitalised in the context of the refugee crisis and the visa liberalisation process, this increase may be interpreted as a clear testimony of the public opinion’s support for this process.

Since last year, IKV has commissioned a survey which is conducted by Realta Research Company with the aim of identifying the level of information and awareness among the Turkish public opinion on the EU and further analysing the support for Turkey’s EU membership. The last survey was conducted on 23-24 April 2016 in 18 provinces of Turkey with a participation of a total of 1254 persons among which 42.6 percent were women.

The main outcomes of this survey are as follows:

• While 9 out of 10 respondents to the survey have stated that they have heard of the EU beforehand, 85% of respondents declared that they have “none” or “little” knowledge of the EU. Despite the high level of awareness about the EU, there is a lack of general information with regard to the EU among the Turkish public opinion.
• It can also be observed that the awareness about the EU is higher among the 23-30 age group, whereas the level of knowledge on the EU is higher among the 31-44 age group.
• The survey shows that the main sources of information on the EU are traditional media tools such as television, newspapers and radio along with the internet. 9 out of 10 respondents have recourse to traditional media tools to access information on the EU whereas every 1 out of 2 respondents use the internet. Public institutions in Turkey and in the EU are not considered as primary source of information by Turkish citizens.
• 75.5% of the Turkish public opinion supports Turkey’s EU membership. The ratio for the support for EU membership has increased by 13.7 percentage points compared to last year.
• It can be observed that there is an increase in terms of the expectation for Turkey to become an EU member over the last year. While the ratio of respondents who expected that Turkey would become an EU member was 30.1% in 2015, it has increased by 5 percentage point reaching 35.6%. On the other hand, the expectation for Turkey to become EU member within the next five years is 33.8%.
• As regards to the level of support given to Turkey’s EU membership, there is a rather mixed picture over Turkey’s geography. With a rate of 57.1%, South Eastern Anatolia is the region with the highest rate of expectation for Turkey’s EU membership while Central Anatolian region has the lowest rate of expectation with 25.7%. With the exception of South Eastern Anatolia, in all the geographical regions, it can be observed that the expectation for EU membership is below 50%.
• Taking into consideration the age range, it can be observed that the population under 45 years old shows more support and has a higher rate of expectation for Turkey’s EU membership. 1 out of 2 respondents within the 23-30 age range believe in Turkey’s EU membership. This age range also has the highest conviction that Turkey will become an EU member within the next five years.
• When analysing, the relation between the respondents’ expectation that Turkey will become a member of the EU and their occupation, it can be observed that private sector is more optimistic than other occupational groups in regards to Turkey’s EU membership. More than the half of the respondents from the private sector believes that Turkey will become a member of the EU.
• Among the main reasons behind the support for Turkey’s EU membership are the prospect of more welfare and further economic development as well as the free movement, right of settlement and educational opportunities. These are followed by democratic consolidations and human rights. The 23-30 age group is mainly supporting the EU membership because it will improve Turkey’s welfare and economic development level. The arguments of right free movement, settlement and educational opportunities are twice more important for the 18-22 age group compared to other age groups.
• For all the regions in Turkey, the improvement of welfare and level of economic development is the main reason behind the support for EU membership.
• On the other hand, when analysing the reasons for opposing Turkey’s EU membership, the fear that Turkish culture and identity would be weakened with EU membership (26.8%) and EU’s double-standard approach to Turkey (21.2%) are among the reasons coming to the forefront. 
• According to the respondents to the survey, most important contributions of EU membership to Turkey are “new job opportunities” and “free movement”. On the other hand, 3 out of 5 respondents indicated that religion and cultural differences are the most important obstacles in front of EU membership.
• When asked about most important subject in Turkey-EU relations, according to 1 out of 2 respondents the refugee crises was the most important subject and for every 1 out of 4 respondents, it was the visa liberalisation. While the Turkey-EU Refugee Deal is welcomed positively by every 1 out of 4 respondents, it can be observed on the other that the Refugee Deal is perceived negatively by every 1 out of 2 respondents.

For more details of the survey's results please click here