CMIRS Survey: 87% of Turkish Cypriots Believe Things Are Going Wrong in the Country

The survey, which was carried out face-to-face with 500 participants, aimed to measure political trust, social security, individual self-confidence, and happiness perceptions, while also observing how these indicators relate to each other over time and are influenced by ongoing developments. The survey is part of CMIRS's ongoing quarterly studies.

In the survey, 87.77% of participants stated that things in the country are going in the wrong direction. This high percentage reflects the continuing social dissatisfaction observed in recent years. CMIRS Director Mine Yücel noted that this study included special questions measuring societal decay (anomie), explaining, "We have been saying for years that society is an anomie society. This study provides a detailed analysis of that."

Yücel emphasized that both the social fabric and institutional leadership are undergoing serious erosion.

ECONOMY: THE BIGGEST ISSUE

Participants highlighted economic problems as the most significant issue facing the country. Economic issues topped the list, followed by low wages, the healthcare system, and incompetent political leaders. Other important issues included the electricity infrastructure, inflation, the education system, the Cyprus issue, and corruption.

LOW HAPPINESS AND SOCIAL SECURITY

The society's happiness score was recorded at 5.90 out of 10, while social security scored 3.34. These figures indicate significant issues with trust in both institutions and fellow citizens.

LOW TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS

The institutions that the society trusts the least were, in order, the government, political parties, the parliament, the media, and trade unions. The most trusted institutions were the judiciary, the police, and the ombudsman. The livability score was moderate, standing at 5.69.