Turkey is a miserable nation

link :- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2610613.stm

Turkey tops misery table

Turkey ranks as one of the most miserable countries in the world, according to a global opinion poll published in December.

Some 93% of Turkish people are not satisfied with the state of their country.

At the time the poll was taken the country had a head of government least respected by his own citizens.

The report is grim reading for Turkey and the Turkish people; in response to question after question Turkish citizens reveal themselves to be proudly unhappy with their state of affairs.

Change under way

The report, published by the US Pew Research Center, comments that by all measures the Turks are amongst the unhappiest people surveyed.

Only 4% of Turks say they are satisfied with their country compared to, say, 41% of US citizens or 49% of Pakistanis.

More than half of Turkey’s working population are unhappy with their jobs.

After two years of harsh economic recession the results should not, perhaps, be too surprising; well over a million people have lost their jobs, savings have disappeared as banks have gone under and the currency has fallen sharply.

The report does comment that the world is not a happy place as 2002 comes to a close.

Some things have changed since the survey was taken; Turkey has a new government, and the financial markets have picked up.

But it would be difficult to say that there is a vast difference in people’s attitudes towards life; recovery in the national mood will be a long time coming.