IPA report reveals: What are Istanbul residents talking about at home? Here is the real 'poverty line'...

The Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA) Istanbul Barometer Research for October 2024 has been released.

The Istanbul Barometer Research provides insights into Istanbul residents on many topics, ranging from their domestic agendas and psychological states to their economic preferences and working lives.

THE ECONOMY IS THE AGENDA FOR ONE IN EVERY TWO PEOPLE

In October 2024, the main topic in homes in Istanbul was economic issues. While the economy was the primary agenda at home for 54.1% of participants, femicides followed in second place with 8.4%, and health problems ranked third with 3.3%.

On the streets of Istanbul, the economy was also discussed as the biggest problem at 38%, followed by the appointment of a trustee to the Esenyurt Municipality at 28.8%, and traffic issues at 8.8%.

In October, the agenda in Turkey was also dominated by economic issues at 35.4%, followed by the 'newborn gang' scandal at 13.1%, and the incident at the Fatih city walls that resulted in the deaths of two young girls at 12.5%.

APPOINTMENT WAITING TIMES REACH 30 DAYS ON THE EUROPEAN SIDE!

In the Istanbul Barometer, which conducts research on a thematic area every month, Istanbul residents were asked about health services in October.

While 75.6% of the Istanbul residents participating in the research stated that they prefer public or state hospitals when they fall ill, this rate varied according to income levels. While those preferring state hospitals in the lower income group stood at 86.4%, this rate was 59.7% in the upper income group.

A difference in health services across income levels also emerged in terms of trust. While participants in the lower income group stated that they do not trust the services of the state hospitals they use most frequently, participants in the upper income group stated that they trust the services of state hospitals, even though they receive more services from private hospitals. Looking at the general picture, trust in state hospitals was 37.1% and distrust was 44.9%, while this gap widened for private hospitals, with trust at 14.8% and distrust at 64.5%.

It was observed that appointment waiting times increased to 30 days on the European side, while it was 26 days on the Anatolian side.

While 52.1% of participants stated that they were not satisfied with the services of state hospitals, the dissatisfaction rate for private hospitals was 47.6%.

60% of Istanbul residents stated that they want a return to the dual time system, consisting of summer and winter time.

ONE IN EVERY 10 PEOPLE CANNOT PAY THEIR CREDIT CARD BILL!

34.9% of Istanbul residents stated that they could only pay the minimum amount of their credit card debt. In September, this rate was 35.7%. While 41.7% were able to pay their entire credit card debt, 9.9% stated that they could not pay their credit card bill at all.

ISTANBUL'S 'LIVING' THRESHOLD

While participants stated that 70,000 TL is required for a family of four to make ends meet in Istanbul, 23.9% of participants stated in October that they had taken on debt, 15.2% said they could barely make ends meet, 42.6% said they were scraping by, and 18.3% said they were able to make ends meet and save money.

ARE THEY EXPECTING AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY?

While 17.7% of participants stated that they expect an improvement in the Turkish economy, a decline was observed compared to the 18.4% rate in September. It was observed that 43.5% of participants expect the economy to worsen further.

While it was seen that 27.1% of those expecting an improvement in their individual or household economy remained, this rate was 28.5% last month, indicating a decline. Those expecting a deterioration in their own economy stood at 27.9%.

News Source: 12punto