Poll shows only 25 percent of public has trust in Turkish presidency

Duvar English

Only 25 percent of the Turkish public has trust in the presidency, according to a recent poll from the ArtıBir research company.

The poll was conducted with 1500 people in 26 provinces across Turkey, and found that 32 percent of the people believed that the biggest problem in Turkey is its economy.

Some 18.4 percent of those surveyed said that COVID-19 was the biggest problem, while 15.6 percent said that it was the education system and 9.6 percent chose unemployment.

Around 60 percent of respondents said that they did not believe that there was press freedom in Turkey, which is known as one of the most notorious jailers of journalists and where most of the mainstream media is effectively controlled by the government.

Some 17.3 percent of those polled said that they did not have trust in any of the country's institutions, while the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) was the most trusted institution with the confidence of 38.2 percent of those responding to the poll.

The controversial conversion of the iconic Hagia Sophia museum to a mosque was a polarizing one in the eyes of those polled, with 49 percent supporting the decision, 48 percent opposing it, and 3 percent saying they had no opinion on the matter.

Some 50.8 percent said that they believed the municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) have been successful since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Turkey.

Since 2019, most of the country's major cities including Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir have been led by the CHP.