THE DESIRE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN TURKEY TO LIVE ABROAD: AN ANALYSIS OF RECENT SURVEYS ON YOUTH IN TURKEY

Source:Istanbul Policy Center Date:23Mar2024

What Do the Surveys on Young People in Turkey Tell Us about Their Desire to Live Abroad? Recent surveys demonstrate that there is a strong desire to live abroad among young people in Turkey.

A 2020 survey conducted by the Social Democracy Foundation (Sosyal Demokrasi Vakfı, SODEV) on young people aged 15–25 in 12 cities in Turkey demonstrated that 62.5% of young people would want to live in another country if they had the means to do so.

The survey shows that although the percentage of those who would want to live in another country is higher among those who voted for opposition political parties—with this percentage rising to 74.4% among young people who voted for the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP)—this percentage is also significant (47%) among those who voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP).