Poll shows almost half the population has no information on Kanal Istanbul
Almost half the population of Turkey has no information about the Kanal Istanbul project which would build an artificial canal in Thrace. According to a survey by Turkey Report, 48.5 percent of participants said they have "no information" and 40.2 percent said they had some information about the project. Some 42.3 percent of participants said that they think the project is necessary but too expensive for the financial situation of the country.
Duvar English
Almost half of Turkey's population has no information about the Kanal Istanbul project, a survey by Turkey Report revealed.
According to the survey, 48.5 percent of participants said they had "no information" about the project that would build an artificial canal in Thrace, 40.2 percent said they had "some information" on it and 11.3 percent said they have "a lot of information."
"The project is needed, but too big a spending for the current economic state of the country," said 42.3 percent of the participants, while 42.9 percent said they disagree with this statement.
Some 49.2 percent don't think the project would create new income for the country and 35.7 percent said that the project would be financially beneficial to Turkey.
It's a close call for the public opinion of the project's environmental impact with 42.7 percent agreeing with the statement that the project would harm the environment and 40.1 percent disagreeing.
The Montreux Convention, regulatory of the passage of trade and civilian fleets through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, becomes a topic of discussion about Kanal Istanbul. The project changing the conditions of the landscape and disabling the treaty is a concern among some.
The survey asked participants whether they agree or disagree with the statement "Because Montreux Convention has expired, I think this project is definitely needed." Those who agreed with the phrase stood at 27.8 percent.
Kanal Istanbul is controversial for its cost, its impact on the local flora and fauna and for the risk of increasing the damage of a potential earthquake. While President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called the project his "dream," Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has said it was "murder."