40% Turkish youth plan to leave country amid economic woes, survey finds
A recent survey by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), involving 3,000 participants across Türkiye in June, assessed the concerns and outlooks of young people.
The survey, reported by Turkish publication Hurriyet, found that 25.8% of young people view unemployment as the most urgent issue. Following this, 21.9% cited economic concerns and 15.9% pointed to education.
Additionally, 40.1% plan to live abroad. While 36.6% described themselves as “very happy” or “happy,” 25.8% felt “not happy at all” or “not happy.”
Economic worries affect young
Regarding their future, 36.1% of young people were “very optimistic” or “optimistic,” but 33.6% were “very pessimistic” or “pessimistic.” Economic issues were a major reason for pessimism for 28.9%, and 17.7% cited “concern about the future.”
No interest in politics
Interest in politics was low, with 21.3% of young people expressing “high” or “moderate” interest, and 57.5% showing “no interest” or “little interest.”
Political affiliations included 30.4% identifying as Atatürkist, 13.6% as Turkish nationalists, 4.7% as religious and 4.3% as conservative.