Public Opinion in Turkey-European Union Relations: The Case of Çankırı

Public opinion emerged as a factor taken into account more than ever before in international relations especially in the post-cold war period. Today, “Turkey – European Union relations” is an academic research area in Turkey that public opinion surveys are widely used and analyzed. These data comprise both Turkish public opinion towards the European Union and European Union public perceptions of Turkey. Same kind of research has also been implemented on the European Union side. Main objective of this article is to analyze the data gained through a field work in Çankırı (a province neighboring capital Ankara) where any similar research has not been done before. Field work comprises questionnaires implemented with 400 people in the centre during January 2012. According to the results, Çankırı displays similar attitudes towards the European Union with general Turkish public opinion while cultural cost of Turkish membership to the EU is widely emphasized as a discerning factor.