The second of the 2022 Fall Semester “Political Science and Public Administration Department Seminars” was held on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at the Meeting Hall of the Faculty of Political Sciences at 17.00. In this context, Istanbul Ticaret University faculty member Prof.Dr. Ömer ÇAHA gave a seminar titled “Social Values in Turkey in the Light of Research Findings”.
ÇAHA analyzed the results obtained from a survey study investigating the social values of Turkey under six main headings; “attitudes, values related to women and family, trust in professions, perception of the image of Turkey, interest in politics, political identity and attitudes”.
ÇAHA first analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions under the title of “Attitudes”. In this context, ÇAHA stated that even if religious duties are not fulfilled in Turkish society, the level of belief is high and as the economic development and education level increases, the adherence to religious values decreases. Turkish society is generally tied to traditions and customs but this tendency decreases as education and economic situation increase. Expressing that there is a harmony between the traditional and the modern in Turkey, ÇAHA said that the culture and political culture in Turkey has both a conservative and a modern character.
ÇAHA secondly analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions under the title of “Values Regarding Women and Family”. In this context, he touched upon the general views of the society on gender inequality, women’s employment, and women’s empowerment. He stated that an egalitarian understanding of the male-female relationship is dominant in Turkish society, and that this tendency is higher among young people, those with higher education and economic status.
Thirdly, ÇAHA analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions under the title of “Trust in Professions”. In this context, he stated that the society trusts the soldiers, doctors, teachers, pharmacists, and the police the most, while the trust towards the imam, mayor and politicians is the least.
Fourthly, ÇAHA analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions under the title of “Perception of the Image of Turkey”. In this context, he stated that although the majority of the participants are proud to be citizens of the Republic of Turkey, they do not see Turkey as a democratic country with international dignity that is respectful toward human rights and fundamental freedoms. Yet, he added that when the participants were asked whether they would like to live in a different country, a significant majority did not want to live in a different country.
As the fifth title, ÇAHA analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions in the section “Interest in Politics”. In this context, he stated that the majority of the participants will vote in the elections, they are responsive about participating in the political decision-making process and they show interest in political issues.
ÇAHA finally analyzed the answers given by the participants to the questions in the “Political Identity and Attitudes” section. In this context, he stated that nationalism and Kemalism are the two dominant identities in Turkey, the right-wing tendency is more dominant than the left as a political tendency, however, the rate of those who see themselves in the center and those who do not have any political tendencies is high, and indifference towards politics is especially widespread among the Z generation. Also, in this section, ÇAHA concluded by addressing the ethnic disparities in the society and stating that there is a general perception that ethnic minorities are not equal to those in the legal majority.
The seminar ended with a question and answer session.
