Some 56 pct of young people in Turkey want to live abroad if given opportunity

Duvar English

Around 56 percent of young people in Turkey would like to live abroad if they have the opportunity, according to the "Youth, Values, and Future on the Threshold of the Second Century" survey conducted by Hisar Schools Humanities and Social Sciences Research Center in cooperation with KONDA Research Company. 

The survey was conducted in 78 provinces with 3,147 respondents, 930 of whom were between the ages of 15-29.

The rate of dissatisfaction with education was 71 percent among young people between the ages of 15-24, the majority of whom were students.

As the income level increased, the level of satisfaction with education decreased.

According to 43 percent of the respondents, women did not have equal opportunities with men. The same rate reaches 50 percent among young women.

Almost 60 percent of young people aged 15-24 wanted to live abroad "if they were given opportunity." Among people between the ages of 25-29, the same rate decreased by a small margin, but it was still more than half.

While 62 percent of those who described their lifestyle as “modern” would like to live abroad, this rate dropped to 28 percent among “religious conservatives.”

While 46 percent of the general population was not hopeful about the future, this rate decreased to 39 percent among young people.

Young women were more pessimistic about their future than young men. While also half of the young people in the lowest income bracket thought that they would not have better conditions in the future than they have today, this rate decreased to 1 in 3 in the highest income group.

Two-thirds of young people asserted that there is no freedom of expression in Turkey. 

When asked "What should be prioritized the most?" the responses included a strong economy, ensuring justice, world-class education, healthcare, meritocracy, gender equality, and environmental protection.