Turks, who have experienced a high cost of living amid double-digit inflation since 2019, see the economy as the weakest area of performance for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), according to a new survey by Turkish pollster ASAL Research.
The “Turkey Political Agenda September 2025” survey, conducted between September 12 and 18 on 2,000 respondents in 26 provinces across the country, asked participants which of the AKP government’s policies or initiatives they considered successful.
Only 13.2 percent of respondents said they viewed the government’s performance on the economy positively, the lowest rating among all policy areas surveyed, while 74.7 percent said they found the AKP unsuccessful in this area.
By contrast 54.7 percent rated the government’s performance in the defense industry as successful, followed by transportation (52.5 percent), energy (51 percent) and counterterrorism efforts (50.5 percent).
In the middle tier, perceptions of success were 43.5 percent for foreign policy, 42.6 percent for urban transformation, 41.8 percent for healthcare, 34 percent for refugee policy and 30.2 percent for agriculture.
Areas where less than a third of respondents viewed the government’s performance favorably included education (29.8 percent), family policy (29.3 percent), unemployment (28 percent) and justice (20.3 percent) in addition to the economy.
The findings show growing public frustration over the country’s worsening economic conditions. Turkey has experienced double-digit inflation since 2019, making life increasingly expensive for millions of people, notably driving up the cost of education, housing, healthcare, food and transportation.
The annual inflation rate, which peaked at 85.5 percent in October 2022, has declined over the years and currently stands at 33.29 percent, according to official data.
Independent researchers, however, say the real figure is far higher. The Inflation Research Group (ENAG), a team of Turkish academics that publishes its own calculations, reported an annual inflation rate of 63.23 percent earlier this month. ENAG’s estimates, widely cited by government critics, have consistently shown inflation at nearly double the official level.
Despite the downward trend in official figures, elevated prices continue to squeeze consumers, especially in essential goods. Many have been forced to alter their spending habits and cut back on basic needs.
The Turkish lira has also lost more than 130 percent of its value against the dollar since mid-2022, with the exchange rate rising from approximately 17.5 to more than 40 lira to the dollar in three years.
