05.12.2017
The attitude of Ukrainians towards Turkey
- According to a survey conducted by Rating Group in November 2017, most respondents associate Turkey primarily with tourism, seaside holidays, and resorts (46%). Another 12% associate the country with Turkish goods, food products, and TV series, while one quarter of respondents were unable to name any associations with Turkey at all.
- Only 10% of respondents had ever visited Turkey, including 9% who had been there once or twice and 1% who had visited more than twice. Almost 90% had never been to the country. Visits were somewhat more common among people under 50 and among wealthier respondents, among whom more than one third had been to Turkey.
- Among those who had visited Turkey, the overwhelming majority (76%) traveled there for leisure and holidays. Another 24% visited for sightseeing in tourist cities. Only 6% went there for work, primarily residents of southern regions, 4% for business, and 3% to visit relatives.
- Overall, 53% of Ukrainian respondents said they had a positive attitude toward the Turkish people, 43% expressed a neutral attitude, and only 2% a negative one. The most positive views were recorded in the South and the Center (57% in both), followed by the West (53%) and the East (38%). City residents, people with higher incomes, those who had visited Turkey, and those who watch Turkish TV series tend to have more favorable views of Turks.
- Fifty-four percent of respondents described relations between Ukraine and Turkey as friendly, 37% as neutral, and only 1% as hostile, while 7% could not answer. Friendly perceptions are most widespread among residents of the Center, urban populations, young people under 35, and wealthier respondents.
- In general, 54% of respondents have a positive attitude toward Turkish goods, 37% are neutral, and only 2% are negative, while 7% are undecided. More favorable views are more common among city residents, people of younger and middle age, and wealthier respondents.
- Over the past year, 51% of respondents purchased Turkish clothing, 41% bought fruits and vegetables, 28% shoes, and 19% sweets. Fewer than 7% purchased Turkish children’s goods, household appliances, building materials, household chemicals, or medicines. Only 2% used Turkish airline services. One fifth of respondents said they had not bought any Turkish products or used services from Turkish companies, with the lowest levels of consumption recorded in western regions.
- Fifty-six percent do not watch Turkish TV series. Among those who do, 70% say that these series create a positive impression of Turkey, while only 5% say they create a negative one. Fourteen percent say they create no impression, and 11% were unable to answer. Turkish series are especially popular among women, particularly older women, and are more widely watched in rural areas than in cities.
Methodology
- Audience: the adult population of Ukraine aged 18 and over.
- Sample size: 2,000 respondents.
- Sampling: representative by age, gender, region, and type of settlement.
- Method: face-to-face formalized interviews.
- Margin of error: not more than 2.2%.
- Fieldwork period: November 15–23, 2017.
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