June 22, 2012 - 13:18 AMT
Turks see terrorism as country’s major problem

A majority of Turks have indicated that they consider terrorism to be Turkey’s most important problem for the first time, putting the issue ahead of economic difficulties, according to a survey conducted among 3 000 people, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Some 67.1 percent of Turkish people consider terror to be Turkey’s biggest problem, while only 17.2 percent find economic problems more important, according to a survey recently conducted by the Sonar Research Center.

Unemployment ranked in third place at 8.7 percent, while 6.1 percent say Turkey’s biggest problem is education.

The results of the report, “Political Approaches in Turkey,” also showed that 61.2 percent of Turkish society objected the idea of negotiations between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to solve the Kurdish question. Only 10.2 percent of participants said negotiations should definitely be held, while 10.8 percent said it was possible to negotiate if the PKK lays down its arms.

On the other hand, 76.4 percent of Turkish society finds the Turkish Armed Forces to be the most trustworthy institution in the country.