A recent opinion poll conducted by Metropoll revealed that more than 50 percent of Turks believe that religion will have a diminishing influence on society in Turkey in the future. The survey, known as „Turkey’s Pulse,“ was conducted on 1,699 people across 28 provinces in Turkey from July 12-16. The results were announced by Professor Özer Sencar, the owner of the company.
Participants in the survey were asked whether they believed that religion’s influence on society would increase, decrease, or remain the same in the future. The majority, 50.9 percent, stated that they believed religion’s influence would decline, while only 23.8 percent believed it would increase. A smaller percentage, 17.2 percent, felt that religion’s influence would remain the same.
Interestingly, the largest group among those who believed that religion would have a diminishing influence in Turkey were supporters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), representing 53.4 percent. They were followed by voters from two allied parties: the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at 43.9 percent, and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at 42.8 percent.
According to the survey results, 30.2 percent of AKP supporters believed that religion’s influence would increase in the future, followed by MHP supporters at 24.3 percent and CHP supporters at 22.2 percent. Professor Sencar commented on the results, stating that he believed the more politics dealt with religion and tried to increase its influence on society, the more the influence of religion on society would decrease.
The AKP government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has faced criticism for its increasingly authoritarian governance and use of Islamist rhetoric. Erdoğan has expressed his goal of raising „pious generations,“ which has created tensions with more liberal Turks who fear that his rule is undermining the country’s secular foundations.
Turkey is officially a secular state, despite being predominantly Muslim. The AKP government’s policies, which have been criticized for attacking the lifestyle of secular individuals and imposing a religious lifestyle on the population, have led to discontent among many Turks. The role of religious sects and the country’s religious directorate (Diyanet) have also been points of contention.
In conclusion, the survey results reflect a growing sentiment among Turks that religion’s influence on society in Turkey will diminish in the future. The divide between those who support a more secular approach and those who advocate for a more religious influence continues to be a point of contention in Turkish society.