ANKARA
Over half of Turkey's citizens see European Union membership as a positive thing, according to a survey by the German Marshall Fund of the United States revealing an upturn in the population's attitude for the first time in four years.
The number of Turkish people who think EU membership would be a good thing for Turkey increased to 53 percent, an increase of 8 percentage points compared to last year, Transatlantic Trends 2014 public opinion survey shows, indicating that EU supporters exceeds 50 percent for the first time since 2010.
The survey also shows a 19 percent increase in the last four years in Turks considering NATO a necessity for the security of the country. Figures show an increase from 30 percent in 2010 to 49 percent in 2014.
Despite the abatement of the global economic crisis in recent months, there has been an annual 14 percent increase in Turkish people being affected by the crisis, suggesting the tapering of U.S. quantitative easing and geopolitical problems in countries neighboring Turkey have started to affect the lives of ordinary citizens.
The Transatlantic Trends survey conducted by Marshall Funds and Compagnia di San Paolo to evaluate U.S. and EU public opinion is backed by Barrow Cadbury Trust, the BBVA Foundation and the Swedish Foreign Affairs Ministry.
www.aa.com.tr/en
