Consumer demands ‘made in Turkey’ energy

KADIR HAS UNIVERSITY’S Energy and Sustainable Development Research Center (CESD) has announced the results of the Turkey’s fourth annual Energy Preference Survey. Unsurprisingly, a third of participants said the economy was Turkey’s most pressing issue while 37 percent said high costs were their biggest concern in terms of energy. Dependence on imported energy, which 39 percent of citizens saw as the most important problem in 2016, dropped to 8 percent in 2019.

REDUCED CONSUMPTION

The vast majority felt that Azerbaijan should be preferred for energy imports while the rate of those who said it should be Russia, which was 20 percent in 2016, dropped to 9 percent. The ratio of those who think we can buy from cheap sellers increased from one percent to 18 percent while the rate of those who think Turkey should become energy self-sufficient increased from three percent to 27 percent.

•ver two-thirds the participants said that their biggest source of energy use is heating while lighting and household appliances was second place at 25 percent. The most preferred energy source for heating was natural gas. The rate of those who use coal, 25 percent in 2016, dropped to 18 percent while electricity came fourth.

The proportion of those who cut their energy consumption significantly due to high costs increased from four percent to 12 percent and the rate of those who said that they suffered prolonged interruptions increased from 16 percent to 22 percent.

INFLUENCE ON VOTER PREFERENCE

Survey results show that environmental awareness and climate change in Turkey has increased. More than half - 51 percent – said industry is primarily behind global warming while those who think that the climate change is the key consideration when discussing energy production increased from 25 percent to 38 percent.

Energy policies seem to be affecting voter preferences. The rate of those who say that energy policies of parties affect their voting preference increased compared to the previous years. The rate of those who support the energy policies of the government decreased form 46 percent to 30 percent. Supporters of the government’s energy policies are mostly AK Party supporters - 54 percent, while 28 percent are Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), 16 percent Republican People’s Party (CHP) and 7 percent People’s Democracy Party (HDP) supporters.

SUPPORT FOR RENEWABLES

As in previous surveys, participants would prefer natural gas, solar and wind for their energy needs at home if their costs and accessibility were the same. However, the 63 percent preference for natural gas in the first year of the survey decreased to 35 percent. Preference for wind, meanwhile, increased from 6 percent to 18 percent.