GENAR report released: Is the Turkish public satisfied with Diyanet services?

The "Perception of Diyanet and Religious Services in Turkey Report" was prepared by GENAR Research Consultancy and Training through interviews with 2,500 people aged 18 and over in 27 provinces.

The report presentation, held at Liman Han in Sirkeci, was attended by Deputy President of Religious Affairs Kadir Dinç, Istanbul Mufti Safi Arpaguş, GENAR President İhsan Aktaş, and journalists from various media organizations.

THE PROPORTION OF THOSE WHO SAY THEY ARE NOT RELIGIOUS

According to the report, 29.9 percent of participants prioritize prayer and worship when seeking solutions to personal problems, and this rate reaches 33.1 percent when visits to shrines and religious sites are included.

The report also stated that the proportion of those who say "I am not religious" and "I am not religious at all" is 15 percent; these segments are defined as "religiously indifferent segments" in society, and it can be said that the rate of religiosity in Turkish society is quite high.

PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WHO FIND THE PRESIDENCY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS ADEQUATE

The report also noted that the proportion of those who find the services of the Presidency of Religious Affairs "very adequate" and "adequate" is 47 percent, while the proportion of those who find them "inadequate" and "very inadequate" is 26.8 percent, with the average score for adequacy on a scale of 5 being 3.25. When these rates are compared with the image the Presidency of Religious Affairs has in the public eye, it was stated that the average for those with positive views is 3.29 out of 5.

The report stated that while society in the past obtained religious knowledge from family and elders, today this information is learned from religious sources, the internet, and family and elders, noting that the age of communication and information technology and increasing individualism have changed the sources of acquiring religious knowledge.

GENERALLY POSITIVE

The report recorded that 62 percent of people view the Presidency of Religious Affairs providing religious and values education to children in the 4-6 age group positively, and that in this and similar studies, the tendency of Turkish society to receive religious education from the Diyanet has emerged.

According to the general evaluation in the final section of the report, it was stated that society generally finds the activities of the Presidency of Religious Affairs positive.

"IF THERE ARE ASPECTS TO CRITICIZE, LET THEM CRITICIZE"

Stating that they decided together with the Presidency of Religious Affairs to share what society thinks about the Diyanet and religion, GENAR President İhsan Aktaş said:

"The point here is this; ultimately, let columnists, journalists, or academics take the results from a social study and interpret them, and let them offer their own contributions. If there are aspects to criticize, let them criticize. In a way, we can call this the Presidency of Religious Affairs, which is active, sharing its own work with society and researching it."

News Source: AA