Turkey: 4.3 percent of the electorate is affiliated with a religious sect or order

Based on the “Turkey’s Pulse July 2022” survey conducted by Metropoll, 4.3 percent of the electorate has ties to sects or religious orders. 

In the survey, the percentages are distributed according to the voting intention of the participants. Besides the seven main political parties of Turkey, the categories are divided into "other, undecided, protest vote or no response."

The highest percentage is observed in the potential voters of the SP (Felicity Party) with 13.3 percent of the participants saying that they have ties to religious sects. 

After SP, the biggest sect membership is by the “undecided” voters by 6.9 percent, followed by the potential voters of the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) with 6.1 percent.

According to the survey, none of the potential voters of the DEVA (Democracy and Progress Party) has ties to religious sects and orders while the second lowest ties are observed in the potential voters of MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) by 1.9 percent.

The founder of MetroPoll, Ozer Sencar noted: “Those who are connected may be few, but we know that their sphere of influence in society and the public is much wider.”

Religious orders have been a controversial topic in Turkish politics. Secularists claim that religious orders go against the notion of a secular state.