Following Turkey’s disastrous earthquake in April, I am often asked how people can still vote for the ruling AK Party. I would like to answer this question here. As some of you may have followed, we recently conducted a webinar on the effects of the April 6th earthquake with participation of distinguished academics and opinion leaders. In the webinar, we discussed the findings of a representative sample, some of which provide insight into the question above.
In our survey, we found that the majority of the public pointed at construction companies as the main culprits responsible for the lives lost during the earthquake. Interestingly perhaps, only 44% of the public believed that the government was at fault. This percentage was as low as 9% among AK Party voters and as high 77% among CHP supporters. In other words, the earthquake and the damage it caused was not interpreted as a political matter or a reason to change the political party one supports. It has however contributed to the sense of social unity among the general public, with 89% feeling that earthquake helped them to feel more unified.
During the first days of the earthquake, the fact that all humanitarian assistance was coordinated by the government agency AFAD and that all assistance was delivered by government institutions created a certain level of recognition if not respect for the government. Despite the clear lack of coordination on the first days of the earthquake and the scandal about Red Cross selling tents to Ahbap (a local NGO), the level of trust in AFAD and Red Cross measured as high as 79% and 71% respectively, just two months after the earthquake. In addition, our survey did not detect any statistically significant difference in the net trust score of the AK Party or CHP during this period.
In addition, respondents expressed a belief that the government will be better about to respond to future catastrophes (62%) and that the culprits of shoddy construction practices will be punished (68%). The fact that re-construction bids were finalized promptly and that government personnel stayed on the ground to provide continuity of assistance contributed to the general opinion that the government was doing the best it could to manage the situation.
Consequently, as we said on the 6th of April, the earthquake has not made a political difference but had other social, psychological and economic impacts. For our detailed report, please visit our website: How Earthquake Affected Us? | XSIGHTS or tune in to our YouTube channel if you know a bit of Turkish.