Survey shows: Turks willing to pay more taxes to combat terrorism

To understand how Europeans and Americans view each other as well as how their perceptions influence their willingness for transatlantic cooperation, the “Transatlantic Network 2020” survey was carried out in France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. It suggests that a majority of those surveyed relate to “Europeans” the most and that the four Anglophone countries feel “close” to each other, while Turkey is the most “isolated.”

“Turkey, outside the European Union and not sharing a language with any of the other countries, is the most isolated country,” according to the survey. “Its citizens feel the greatest distance from other countries, and other countries tend not to consider themselves very close to Turks. Frequent migration between Turkey and Germany is reflected in Turks’ assessment of Germans as closer to themselves than any of the other countries,” it said. Other countries perceive Turks as particularly “bold” and “aggressive,” but also “respectful” and “collaborative,” the survey revealed.

The survey took a close look at how individuals perceive collaboration to eradicate poverty, terrorism, ways to manage migration, climate change, as well as their views on the influence of the EU and the US.

US and European respondents agree on the effectiveness of cooperation to combat terrorism. France is the most positive about counter-terrorism cooperation, while Turkey was the most critical of the way Europe and the US work together on the issue. About 70% of Turkish respondents said, they would be willing to pay more taxes to combat terrorism but remained the least positive about the EU’s role in the world. “Are we seeing the effect of a backlash here against the protracted negotiations over Turkey’s EU bid? In contrast, a new EU member, Poland, is, along with Spain, one of the two countries most positive about the EU’s role,” the report said. (Turkish Daily) work together on the issue.