Turks are less happy with life, and perhaps AKP rule

Outlook

TurkStat’s annual Life Satisfaction survey shows more than half of Turks happy/very happy with their lives for most of the post-2002 period, which coincides with Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule. Women are (as elsewhere) more satisfied than men. In 2018- 19, for the first time, fewer than half of men declared themselves happy/very happy. However, about one-third of Turks are consistently unconcerned or apathetic (‘neither happy nor unhappy’).

If the survey is a good proxy for satisfaction with the Erdogan administration, the AKP’s hold over the people has slipped since its peak after the July 2016 attempted coup.

Impacts

• Women participate in the labour force much less than men, who may be more influenced by economic trends such as unemployment.
• The low-educated are likeliest to be happy, perhaps as there are more girls in this group, but this cohort is also likeliest to be unhappy.
• Expectations that next year will be better are at their lowest since 2008-09, though those expecting no change form the largest group.