A new survey has found that financial hardship has become the top concern for residents in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish eastern and southeastern provinces, far outweighing political or identity-based grievances.
The findings, reported by the Anka news agency, come from the Socio-Political Field Research Center and reflect a noteworthy shift in public sentiment amid ongoing talk of a “new peace process” between the Turkish government and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
According to the survey, 68.9 percent of respondents named the economic downturn as their most pressing concern, compared to just 3.7 percent who cited deficiencies in education, 3.2 percent who cited problems with the legal system and 2.7 percent who highlighted a lack of democratic governance.
The figures show a marked increase in economic anxiety from a similar study conducted in March, using the same regional sample.
The survey was conducted between May 18 and 20, 2025, through face-to-face interviews with 1,504 people across 16 provinces in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, offering rare insight into how the region views both the current economic situation and the proposed peace initiative.
The study was carried out with a 95 percent confidence level and a margin of error of 3 percent.
Despite widespread financial pressure, support for peace remains high.
When asked about a reported decision by the PKK to disarm and dissolve its armed wing during a congress held May 5-7 and officially announced on May 12, 71.5 percent of respondents expressed a positive view.
Only 4.3 percent viewed the move negatively, while 17.4 percent said they were undecided.
The announcement reportedly followed a message from PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned on İmralı Island since 1999 and whose call for the laying down of arms is said to have played a pivotal role in the decision.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has fought an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths.
Previous peace talks, including a high-profile process between 2013 and 2015, collapsed without resolution.
The current data suggest that under the weight of financial hardship, public openness to renewed dialogue may be growing.
The poll also explored views on who should bear institutional responsibility for ensuring that the efforts aimed at the laying down of arms result in lasting peace.
Nearly half of respondents — 48.4 percent — named the Turkish Parliament, signaling a public preference for formal democratic mechanisms over behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Another 39 percent pointed to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), while 6.1 percent identified the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
A further 2.5 percent cited broader civil society as the key actor.
When asked in open-ended questions about what specific steps should be taken to advance the peace process, respondents offered a wide range of suggestions.
The most frequent response, cited by 13.6 percent, was a call for democratic and confidence-building measures.
Other priorities included active engagement in peacebuilding (7.6 percent), greater involvement of parliament and political parties (7 percent), transparency and constructive dialogue (6.3 percent), constitutional guarantees for Kurdish rights (5.8 percent) and both the release of political prisoners and broader constitutional reform (each mentioned by 4.5 percent).
However, 10.4 percent of participants said they were unsure what concrete steps were needed, underscoring the complexities of lasting reconciliation.
Commenting on the survey, former diplomat and political analyst Ömer Murat said the results reflect broader economic distress across the country.
“The number of concordats — a form of bankruptcy protection — granted by courts in the first five months of this year has increased by 97 percent compared to the same period last year,” Murat said.
“One in every five companies in Turkey is effectively bankrupt. These are ‘zombie companies’ trying to survive on debt, subsidies and low-interest loans.”
“For the public, the only agenda right now is the cost of living and unemployment,” he added.
“Even in polls conducted in Kurdish-majority provinces, despite critical developments like a new peace process and the PKK’s dissolution announcement, the primary concern for nearly 70 percent of the people remains the financial crisis.”
The survey paints a portrait of a region at a crossroads, where hopes for peace are alive but overshadowed by the struggle to survive.
While public backing for the laying down of arms and dialogue is robust, the long-term success of any renewed peace process may depend as much on addressing structural injustice and economic deprivation as on ending the conflict itself.
Without parallel efforts to deliver justice and recovery, observers warn, the opportunity for reconciliation may not last.