ISTANBUL, (DHA) - Areda Survey conducted a study across Turkey with the participation of 3,030 people on individuals' family relationships. The results of the research were evaluated by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan. Accordingly, while 61% of participants over 55 years old want to live in the same apartment building / neighborhood as their relatives, 55% of participants aged 18-34 do not want to live in the same apartment building / neighborhood. Prof. Dr. Tarhan evaluated not wanting to live in the same neighborhood as relatives as 'cultural erosion'.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that family relations are shaped differently in Turkey and the world, and that the study revealed the impact of rapid digitalization on family relations. According to the research, 2022 was the year when family relations were evaluated as both the strongest and the weakest. While 47% of the Turkish public defined family relations as strong, 19.7% described them as weak. The other year when family relations were strong was 2023, with 43.5%. In 2021, those who evaluated family relations as moderate, at 57.4%, drew attention.
“Relatives are the cure for loneliness”
Stating that humans were not created to live alone and therefore loneliness harms people, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "If you leave a person alone for a long time, they may show schizophrenic reactions. Studies on loneliness have shown that it can be as harmful for elderly people as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Relatives are also the cure for this loneliness. But the profile of family relations in Turkey is also important."
“Covid affected social relations"
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that relations generally turned out to be moderate, and the high 'strong' result in 2022 was due to the impact of the Covid process. He added that Covid affected people's social relations in 2022, and people were in search of something during 2021-2022 because they felt weak and helpless.
“Greater search for close relatives in 2022”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that 2022 created awareness regarding close family relationships, and continued:
"It was a period when they questioned close family relationships more, which is why those who said 'strong' were high in 2022, and it is interesting that those who said 'weak' were also high in 2022 compared to the last three years. From a perspective; people feel that if family relationships are bad, they are even weaker. That is, those who are weak become more prominent. So, it can be said that 2022 was a year with a greater search for relationships with close relatives. Mostly, people tended to establish strong relationships with their relatives in 2022. Those who did not have close family ties also realized that they didn't."
Men's family relationships weaker than women's
In the study, relations with relatives were also divided by gender and age. By gender, 45.3% of women said 'Our relationships are strong'; 48.1% said 'Our relationships are moderate'; and 6.6% said 'Our relationships are weak'. 41.7% of men stated 'Our relationships are strong'; 46% said 'Our relationships are moderate'; and 12.3% stated 'Our relationships are weak'.
“Female brain is more empathetic"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan attributed the stronger family relationships among women compared to men to women being more empathetic. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "In terms of mental health, nervous system, and perception in the brain, the female brain is more open to empathetic perception. Empathy means high awareness of social relations, forming social ties, being unifying, and alleviating loneliness; the female brain is one step ahead when it comes to being close to relatives."
“Men are more prone to individualism”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, attributing the weakness of family relations among men to their tendency towards individualism, said, "The reason for the prevalence of 'weak' among men is their inclination towards individualism. They are more prone to autonomous behavior. This can be explained by their reluctance towards teamwork, i.e., family relationships. Close relationships strengthen among men as they develop themselves. Intra-family traumas have also been effective here. If these statistics were done in Sweden or Norway, the numbers would be completely the opposite."
When family relationships were examined by age groups, interesting results were obtained. According to the research, the vast majority of those who described family relationships as weak are aged 55 and over, at 11.6%. Those aged 55 and over, who describe family relationships as weak compared to other age groups, are also among the group stating that family relationships are the strongest, at 45.7%.
“Young people leave the elderly alone”
When the research is examined by age groups, those aged 55 and over show both the 'strongest' and 'weakest' results. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan explained the reason for these two conflicting feelings in this group as follows:
"Loneliness was less expected among those aged 55 and over. There is a loneliness study conducted by Manchester University and the BBC in 2018. The rate of those who said 'I am very lonely' was 40% among 16-24 year olds, and 27% among those aged 75 and over. This means the loneliness rate is much higher among young people. It was a study conducted with 50,000 people. Therefore, looking at it this way, Turkey is still in a good position. The fact that those aged 55 and over feel more lonely is related to young people leaving the elderly alone."
“Modernism made us selfish"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, interpreting the weakening of family relations as a natural consequence of modern societies, stated, "Of course, if this research were to be conducted again 10-20 years later, this statistic would most likely have reversed and would be similar to Europe. Modernism made us selfish. We understood individualism as selfishness, sharing decreased. Social efforts are diminishing, and this leads to distancing from relatives. Among Eastern societies, we have been the most sociologically affected by modernism."
In the research, 45.8% of those with primary education and below stated that their relationships with relatives were strong. Additionally, 43.3% responded 'Our relationship is moderate' and 10.8% said their relationships were weak. Among those with high school education, 44.7% said 'Our relationships are strong'; 46.1% said 'Our relationships are moderate'; and 9.1% responded 'Our relationship is weak'. Among participants with undergraduate and postgraduate education, the majority, at 58.2%, responded 'Our relationships are moderate', followed by 35.9% saying 'Our relationships are strong' and 5.9% saying 'Our relationships are weak'.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed out that family relationships are weaker among those with undergraduate and postgraduate education due to being 'busy', stating, "This group tries to maintain a more balanced, moderate relationship. Relatives are a social refuge for people, especially in times of disaster."
“We refer to relatives in some situations"
The research also sought an answer to the question, "Do you refer to your relatives when you need something?" The option 'I do in some situations' was the highest rate in the last 3 years, with 47.7% in 2021, 41.4% in 2022, and 42.7% in 2023. The year with the highest percentage of those who said 'Not much' regarding referring to relatives was 2022, at 36.5%.
Men are more prone to ask relatives for help
The rate of referring to relatives when in need of something is the same for women and men. So much so that the rates of women and men who said 'Generally, I do' were both 24.7%. 'I do in some situations' was 37.7% for women and 47.8% for men; while the rate of women who said 'Not much' was 37.6%, and for men it was 27.5%. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that although the table shows equality, men are more prone to ask for help from relatives. He pointed out that women's protective reflex and their belief that their 'private life should not be interfered with' might lead to a lower inclination towards this behavior.
Young people do not refer to relatives when in need
When the 18-34 age group is in need of something, 22.6% prefer to refer to their relatives, while 39.3% respond 'I do in some situations'. 38% of this age group state that they do not refer to their relatives much. Among the 35-54 age group, 28.6% generally refer to their relatives, 41.9% refer in some situations, and 29.5% say they do not refer to their relatives much. Looking at the group aged 55 and over, the option 'I do in some situations' is the highest response at 48%, similar to other age groups, while 22.1% choose 'Generally, I refer' and 29.9% choose 'Not much'.
When we are in trouble or something happens to us, we first turn to family members. According to the research, in 2023, 80.9% of participants turn to family members, 9.5% to friends, 7.2% to the state, and 2.5% to relatives. 88.1% of women state that when something happens to them, they first turn to family members; 1.3% to relatives, 5.9% to friends, and 4.7% to the state. Among men, the highest response, at 73.3%, is 'I turn to family members'; while 3.7% turn to relatives, 13.2% to friends, and 9.8% to the state.
According to the research, 74.9% of participants aged 18-34 state that they first turn to their family when in trouble, followed by 1.4% who responded 'I trust my friends'. Additionally, 8.8% of participants responded 'I trust the state' and 2.2% responded 'I trust my relatives'. Among the 35-54 age group, 84.6% state that they first turn to family; 1.4% to relatives, 9.8% to friends, and 4.3% to the state. The situation did not change for those aged 55 and over, with 83.5% preferring family members. 4.2% stated that they turn to relatives, 3.2% to friends, and 9.1% to the state.
Family ties still strong
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed out that this result is an expected situation and that the problems of the West have not yet reflected on us, stating, "A person turning to a family member in a crisis shows the importance we give to family." Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that there is a serious situation in the sample regarding establishing relations with relatives during a crisis, and said, "Society tends to maintain human relations with relatives. Rather than not wanting to, individuals might also have been directed by ease of accessibility. Relatives are dispersed, but a friend is in a position where you can reach them immediately." Tarhan highlighted that friends are slightly more prominent during university years, and trust in the state increases more in old age.
Do you want to live in the same neighborhood as close relatives?
The research also answered the question, "Do you want to live in the same apartment building or the same neighborhood as your close relatives?" According to the result, while the 'No' response was higher at 50.3% in 2021, the rate of those who said 'Yes' was higher at 58.4% in 2022. By 2023, although there was a decrease in the rate, it was revealed that the majority said 'Yes'. While 55.5% of women said 'Yes', men also agreed with women at a similar rate of 54.9%.
While 45% of participants aged 18-34 are open to living in the same apartment building or neighborhood as their relatives, it was learned that the majority, at 55%, do not want to live close to their relatives. In the 35-54 age range, 60.5% said 'Yes' to this question, while 39.5% responded 'No'. Among those over 55, 39% said 'No', while the majority, at 61%, wanted to live close to their relatives. Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that this situation is because the middle-aged and older group needs more social support compared to young people, which is why they said 'Yes'.
'Anxiety about close relatives is a cultural erosion'
Emphasizing that the most critical information of the research is in this section, Prof. Dr. Tarhan interpreted not wanting to live in the same neighborhood as relatives as 'cultural erosion' and added:
"Not wanting to live in the same neighborhood as relatives indicates anxiety and avoidance regarding close relatives, and also a decreased tendency to see relatives as a safe harbor. Furthermore, when viewed by education level, it does not run parallel. This means it has nothing to do with education. This is more about whether a person meets their social needs. It means our culture continues despite the level of education."
Methodology
The research, conducted between October 6-9 with the participation of 3,030 people across Turkey, was carried out using the CAWI technique, one of the quantitative research methods, and 'Areda Survey's Profile-Based Digital Panel'.