TÜİK 2025 Data: Turkey's Primary Concern Shifts from Terrorism to Cost of Living

Life Satisfaction and Changing Perceptions of Problems The results of the 2025 Life Satisfaction Survey published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) have revealed a striking shift in the priorities of society.
According to the data, the proportion of individuals in Turkey declaring themselves happy has increased to 53.3%.
However, despite this increase in the overall happiness rate, a fundamental transformation has been observed in citizens' perceptions of the country's core problems over the last ten years.
A Sharp Turn from Terrorism to Economy in a Decade When compared with 2015 data, it is noteworthy that Turkey's social agenda has completely changed.
In 2015, 47.2% of society identified terrorism as the biggest problem, whereas by 2025, this has been replaced by the cost of living.
Over the last ten-year period, the perception of problems such as terrorism, unemployment, health, and public order has declined.
In contrast, topics such as the cost of living, poverty, the justice system, and the erosion of social values have come to the fore.
Economic Pressure and Poverty at the Top of the Agenda The cost of living has continued to be seen as the country's most important problem since 2021.
This rate, which peaked at 33.8% in 2023, rose again in 2025 following a short-term decline in 2024.
In the survey, poverty was recorded as the second largest problem at 16.5%.
It is noted that the deterioration in the Gini coefficient, which represents inequality in income distribution, has triggered the increase in the perception of poverty.
On the other hand, the fact that unemployment rates have remained low in official data has steadily reduced the rate at which unemployment is seen as a problem since the pandemic period.