The number of people in Turkey who say they feel insecure and “nostalgic” about the past is increasing, according to a biannual survey carried out by the IPSOS research company titled “Guide to Understanding Turkey.”
According to a report by the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday, some 68 percent of those surveyed said they perceived the outside world as “cruel” and “unpredictable,” so they feel the need to protect themselves and “prefer to stay behind the walls of their homes.”
The study also showed that three out of four people say they are “nostalgic” about the past. The number of respondents who think people were happier in the past increased to 76 percent from 74 percent in the previous survey, while 74 percent believe people were more virtuous, ethical and polite in the past compared to 70 percent in the previous survey.
According to the study, 72 percent spend spare time in shopping malls, on average three hours per week. Some 35 percent never read books, 44 percent never go to the cinema and 64 percent have never gone to a concert, an opera or a theater performance.
Eighty-three percent watch TV every day, 87 percent use the Internet, 61 percent watch news programs and 58 percent watch dramas on TV.
Only 16 percent of respondents said they have a passport, 35 percent never go on holiday and 45 percent say they travel domestically for vacations once a year.
The survey also shows that people have become more environmentally conscious over the past four years while also growing “more concerned about the future” compared to previous surveys.
The latest IPSOS study was conducted on 15,918 people in 34 provinces across Turkey. The survey, which aims to map the country’s lifestyles, consumption patterns, beliefs and physical features, has been conducted since 2004.
