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Study: 64% of Turks don't want Jewish neighbors
Study, by Istanbul's Bahcesehir University, finds Israel to be most
unpopular foreign country in Turkey.
By News Agencies | May 31, 2009 | 5:02 PM
http://www.haaretz.com/news/study-64-of-turks-don-t-want-jewish-neighbors-1.277001
A new study published in a Turkish newspaper Sunday said 64 percent of
Turks would not want Jewish neighbors.
The study also suggested Turks had a low tolerance for diverse
lifestyles in general, as three in four respondents said they would
not want to live next to an atheist or anyone drinking alcohol.
The study by Istanbul's Bahcesehir University was meant to gauge
radicalism and extremism in Turkey.
Results published in Sunday's Milliyet also stated that 52 percent
would not want Christian neighbors, 67 would not want to live next to
an unmarried couple and 43 percent would not want American neighbors.
Religious extremism and nationalism have remained level in Turkey this
decade, although anti-Israeli sentiment was on the rise, said Yilmaz
Esmer, a professor of political science at Bahcesehir who led the
study.
Israel is the most unpopular foreign country, followed by Armenia and
the United States, the study revealed. Israel is also seen as most
responsible for the world's problems, followed by U.S. and EU
policies, according to the survey.
A majority of Turks support their government's bid to join the
European Union, the study revealed, but most say the bloc views it
with prejudice because Turkey is a Muslim nation.
Three out of four Turks believe the EU is trying to divide Turkey and
81 percent believe the bloc's goal is to spread Christianity, said the
study.
Despite this, 57 percent want full EU membership for Turkey.
"A majority of Turks still want EU membership, but a larger majority
has very serious doubts about the EU's intentions towards Turkey,"
Esmer said.
One out of four Turks thinks Turkey is either already a full member of
the EU or is unsure of its status, he said. Turkey has in fact been an
official candidate for EU membership for 10 years and has completed
only one of the 35 'chapters' in the accession process.
Sixty-two percent of Turks said religion was their priority, followed
by 17 percent who said secularism was. Democratization was the top
priority for 15 percent, followed by smaller numbers who cited ethnic
identity and financial gain.
"The main issue for Turks is religion and secularism," Esmer
said.About 18 percent of respondents said they felt discriminated
against, the highest rate in Europe, Esmer said. Still, most
respondents felt that religious and ethnic diversity enriched life,
rather than threatened national unity, he said.
The survey is based on interviews with 1,715 people selected randomly
from 34 cities between April 12 and May 3. No margin of error was
given.
Study, by Istanbul's Bahcesehir University, finds Israel to be most
unpopular foreign country in Turkey.
By News Agencies | May 31, 2009 | 5:02 PM
http://www.haaretz.com/news/study-64-of-turks-don-t-want-jewish-neighbors-1.277001
A new study published in a Turkish newspaper Sunday said 64 percent of
Turks would not want Jewish neighbors.
The study also suggested Turks had a low tolerance for diverse
lifestyles in general, as three in four respondents said they would
not want to live next to an atheist or anyone drinking alcohol.
The study by Istanbul's Bahcesehir University was meant to gauge
radicalism and extremism in Turkey.
Results published in Sunday's Milliyet also stated that 52 percent
would not want Christian neighbors, 67 would not want to live next to
an unmarried couple and 43 percent would not want American neighbors.
Religious extremism and nationalism have remained level in Turkey this
decade, although anti-Israeli sentiment was on the rise, said Yilmaz
Esmer, a professor of political science at Bahcesehir who led the
study.
Israel is the most unpopular foreign country, followed by Armenia and
the United States, the study revealed. Israel is also seen as most
responsible for the world's problems, followed by U.S. and EU
policies, according to the survey.
A majority of Turks support their government's bid to join the
European Union, the study revealed, but most say the bloc views it
with prejudice because Turkey is a Muslim nation.
Three out of four Turks believe the EU is trying to divide Turkey and
81 percent believe the bloc's goal is to spread Christianity, said the
study.
Despite this, 57 percent want full EU membership for Turkey.
"A majority of Turks still want EU membership, but a larger majority
has very serious doubts about the EU's intentions towards Turkey,"
Esmer said.
One out of four Turks thinks Turkey is either already a full member of
the EU or is unsure of its status, he said. Turkey has in fact been an
official candidate for EU membership for 10 years and has completed
only one of the 35 'chapters' in the accession process.
Sixty-two percent of Turks said religion was their priority, followed
by 17 percent who said secularism was. Democratization was the top
priority for 15 percent, followed by smaller numbers who cited ethnic
identity and financial gain.
"The main issue for Turks is religion and secularism," Esmer
said.About 18 percent of respondents said they felt discriminated
against, the highest rate in Europe, Esmer said. Still, most
respondents felt that religious and ethnic diversity enriched life,
rather than threatened national unity, he said.
The survey is based on interviews with 1,715 people selected randomly
from 34 cities between April 12 and May 3. No margin of error was
given.