Majority of population thinks Turkey should remain NATO ally

Duvar English

The majority of Turkish people, 57.9 percent, think Turkey should remain a NATO ally, a December 2019 survey by private polling company Metropoll revealed. 

Relations between Turkey and its NATO allies have been strained due to a host of issues, ranging from Ankara’s decision to procure Russian air defense systems to policy on Syria. Several NATO members condemned Turkey’s decision last month to launch an offensive in northeastern Syria against the YPG, and Ankara insists that NATO allies formally classify the YPG, the main component of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as terrorists.

Northern Syria has also been host to rising tensions between Russia and the US, and half the population of Turkey, 50.6 percent, said that Ankara should not pick a side in the tension between the two countries. Russia had 14.4 percent of the vote if Turkey were to position itself within the US-Russia rivalry, while the U.S. came in second with 13.1 percent.

According to the poll, an overwhelming majority of Turkish society, 77.7 percent, is concerned about the future, while a mere 20.1 percent said they disagreed with the statement "I am concerned about the future."

When asked if Turkey needs new political parties, 31.5 percent agreed. This number is up 3 percent from a July survey by Metropoll, in which only 28.7 percent said they thought Turkey needed new political parties. 

Slightly more than half of participants, 57.8 percent, find it stressful and tiring to talk about politics with individuals who have different views than them. Some 24.7 percent of participants find it exciting and informative to chat about politics with people with differing views, and 17.5 percent did not answer the question.