What is the impact of religion on voting preferences? A striking detail about Turkey

12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS

The US-based think tank Pew Research Center (PRC) recently revealed in a study conducted across 35 countries that the religious orientations of political leaders remain highly significant in terms of voters' preferences. Approximately 84% of the world's population belongs to a specific religion, and according to the Pew Research Center, this number is expected to rise to 87.6% by 2060.

According to the PRC survey, all of the countries where the relationship between religion and politics is strongest are located on the Asian continent. Bangladesh (91%) and Indonesia (90%) top the list, followed by African countries.

Pew senior researcher Jonathan Evans stated in comments to Euronews, 'In the US and elsewhere, we see that people's religious identities or religious practices are often tied to their political views or political identities.'

On the other hand, there are also countries in many parts of Europe and the Middle East where high rates are observed.

THE STUDY SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS TURKEY

While the research results discuss countries in Europe and the Middle East where the religion-politics link is high, the results found in Turkey are cited as an example.

According to the PRC survey, 69% of participants in Turkey believe it is important for their leaders to share the same religious beliefs. In Israel, this rate is 55%.

It is also noted that the highest rates in Europe are seen in the east. Poland (52%), Greece (42%), and Hungary (40%) lead as the countries in Europe where the relationship between religion and politics is strongest.

The lowest rates are observed in Western and Northern Europe.

In the Netherlands, only 15% of participants care about their leaders belonging to the same religion as them. This rate is recorded at 17% in France, 18% in Spain, 22% in the UK, and 23% in Germany.

Among Europe's largest economies, the country with the highest rate is Italy at 30%.

In his statement, Evans drew attention to the results in Europe and expressed the following:

'We found that there is a divide between Eastern and Western Europe on many issues. We found that people in Eastern Europe, by saying that religion is very important in their lives, are more likely to adopt some of the religious views of politicians.'

Evans added, ''People who identify with the right end of the political spectrum are more inclined to say things like, 'It is important that my leader has the same religious beliefs as mine, or even if they are different from mine, that they have strong religious beliefs.'''