THE EUROPEAN UNION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TURKISH SOCIETY: WHAT DO THE PUBLIC OPINION POLLS SAY?

The paper focuses on the development of the public opinion in Turkey towards the EU. The paper set the question: does the relation of the Turkish society towards the EU in long term (2004-2022) pose an obstacle for the potential accession to the EU? The main method of the paper is the analysis of the public opinion surveys Eurobarometer. The article analysis the long-term trend of the perception of the EU by Turkish citizens (very positive, fairly positive, neutral, fairly negative, very negative), the average value of these indicators; and identifies the core of the supporters and opponents. The paper identifies the situation when there is a polarization of the society. The development of the public opinion in Turkey is compared to other EU countries (Czech Republic, Germany, and Hungary) and the EU. The analysis reveals that the public opinion in Turkey does not significantly vary from other compared cases. There is no gradual increase of the opponents of the EU, so the public opinion does not represent another obstacle for Turkish accession to the EU.