BASIC DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP WITH RESPECT TO COGNITIVE LEVEL OF RESPONDENTS

Year 2019, , 225 - 240, 15.10.2019

Sefer Yılmaz , Azmi Yalçın

https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.577225

Abstract

In this paper, basic determinants of public support
for Turkey’s EU membership were analyzed. The data utilized for the study was
obtained from Eurobarometer Surveys, and covered a period of nine years, from
2010 to 2018. Unlike earlier studies in which the data was usually collected
within a span of a few years, this study, however, consisted of a public opinion
aggregate that stretched up to almost a decade. Besides, different from
previous studies, in this, effects of determinants were investigated with
respect to EU-awareness level of the respondents. Our findings suggest, in line
with literature, that the strongest determinant regarding support for
integration, was found to be the “expected benefit”, and that the factor “fear
of loss of cultural identity” seemed to have a meaningful and negative impact
on support for EU membership. However, different from similar studies, the findings
do suggest that, as respondents’ cognitive level increased, the effects of “loss
of cultural identity” on public support decreased to a level where it became statistically
insignificant. On the contrary, the impacts of “expected benefit” and “trust in
the EU” variables were detected to increase as the cognitive level of
respondents rises. No meaningful relationship was observed between the factors
of “age-gender-trust in government” and the dependent variable.  

Keywords

Organizations, International Organizations, European Union

References

• Aybar C, Mergen A, Perotti V, and Reid D (2007) Analysis of Attitudes of Turkish Citizens towards the Effect of European Union Membership on the Economic, Political, and Cultural Environment. Turkish Studies 8(3): 329-348.