87% of Turkish Cypriots Believe the Country is Heading in the Wrong Direction

A recent survey conducted by the Migration, Identity, and Rights Research Center (CMIRS) in March 2025 reveals that 87% of Turkish Cypriots believe the country is moving in the wrong direction.

The CMIRS’s regular survey assesses levels of political and social trust, individual confidence, and overall happiness among Turkish Cypriots. It’s carried out every three months, providing valuable insights into shifting public sentiment and its impact on the country’s situation.

This latest survey, which involved in-person interviews with 500 participants, found that 87.77% of respondents were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. This high level of discontent reflects a continued trend of social dissatisfaction in recent years.

Mayn Yusel, the director of the center, explained that the survey included special questions to assess social anomie—feelings of disconnect and a loss of shared norms. The results revealed deep-rooted issues within the social fabric of society.

The main concerns raised by respondents included economic hardship, low wages, problems in the healthcare system, and a lack of trust in political leaders. Other frequently mentioned issues were power outages, inflation, the state of education, the Cyprus problem, and corruption.

Key indices from the survey include:

• Happiness Index: 5.90 out of 10

• Social Trust Index: 3.34

• Livability Index: 5.69

Respondents expressed the least trust in the following institutions (ranked from lowest to highest trust):

• The Government

• Political Parties

• The Parliament

• The Media

• Trade Unions

On the other hand, the institutions deemed most reliable by respondents were the judiciary, the police, and the office of the ombudsman.