Perception of Germany in Turkey

The "Research on Perceptions of Germany in Turkey" was realized in cooperation with the Global Academy under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, and aims at determining the public perception on and approaches towards Germany in Turkey.

Sample:

The quantitative field research was conducted by Akademetre Research and Strategic Planning in October and November 2021, through face-to-face interviews with 1500 people over the age of 18 in 26 provinces representing Turkey's population structure. Within the scope of the qualitative research, 36 people were interviewed in six groups in December 2021.

Highlights:

• Germany ranks 3rd (after Azerbaijan and the US) as Turkey’s most important partner
• Germany’ image is most strongly connected with household goods and cars
• While two thirds of the respondents said that they appreciate Germany in general, the successful economy (13,5%) and quality of life (8,2%) prevail as the main motivations for this attitude.
• 4/5 of respondents see Germany as the “politically most influential country in the EU” and “an important political partner for Turkey in Europe.” At the same time, two third of the respondents think that Germany is “damaging for Turkish interests” and “poses a threat to Turkey's security.”
• The number of Syrian refugees having found shelter in Germany is grossly underestimated by the majority of Turks with around 150.001 people, only around 15 percent estimated the number of 600.000 correctly.
• The majority of Turks (39,4%) think that Germany “has supported Turkey, though insufficiently.” when it comes to refugees.
• 71% of all respondents said they connected racism to Germany.