59 percent of Turkish citizens can't make ends meet, survey reveals

Duvar English

Some 59 percent of citizens in Turkey cannot make ends meet, according to a survey conducted by Istanbul Economic Research in March.

The results of the survey were shared by the company's managing director Can Selçuki on social media.

The survey participants were asked four questions with regards to their income-expenses balance in March. Some 59 percent answered, “My income did not meet my expenses,” while 27 percent said their income was “just enough” to meet their expenses.

Some 7 percent said their income was “above” their expenses, while 6 percent said their income was “more than enough” to cover their expenses.

The participants were also asked for which party they voted. While 40.7 percent of Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters reported difficulty in covering their expenses, this percentage was much more for supporters of opposition parties.

Some 73.4 percent of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) voters said their income did not cover their expenses, while this percentage was 88.4 percent for Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) supporters and 80.4 percent for İYİ (Good) Party supporters.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on April 4 that nationwide annual consumer price inflation hit 61.14 percent in March, the highest in two decades According to unofficial data from the ENAG Inflation Research Group, the annual consumer price inflation rate was 142.63 percent for the same month.