More than 70 percent of Turkey’s minimum-wage earners would not vote for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which trails the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) by about 4.2 points among this demographic, according to a new survey by ORC Research.
The poll, conducted September 2–6 across 26 provinces on 1,450 participants, found that 33.8 percent would vote for the CHP and 29.6 percent for the AKP if a general election were held today. Support stood at 6.7 percent for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), 5.8 percent for the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), 4.5 percent for the İYİ (Good) Party, 3.9 percent for the Victory Party (ZP), 3.5 percent for the New Welfare Party (YRP), 2.3 percent for the Homeland Party (MP), 2.2 percent for the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) and 1.9 percent for the Felicity Party (SP). Another 5.8 percent chose other parties.
Minimum-wage workers make up a far larger share of Turkey’s workforce than in most European countries. Government figures show that around 9 million employees earn the statutory floor. By comparison, only about 6 percent of workers in Germany receive the minimum wage. In nominal terms Germany’s monthly minimum wage is €2,054, more than three times Turkey’s TL 22,104 (about $536 at today’s exchange rate), underscoring the sharp gap in living standards.
The findings suggest that economic hardship is shaping political choices among minimum-wage workers. Turkey’s hunger threshold for June was TL 26,115 (about $633), above the TL 22,104 minimum wage. The Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) said in July that the hunger threshold rose further to TL 26,413 (about $640), while the poverty line for a family of four reached TL 86,036 (about $2,085). The June poverty line was TL 85,066 (about $2,061), roughly TL 20,000 (about $485) higher than in the same month of 2024.
The hunger threshold is defined as the amount of money that a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara needs to spend for healthy and balanced nourishment, while the poverty line adds other expenses such as clothing, housing (rent and utilities), transportation, education and healthcare.
Rights groups and opposition parties have long criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for mismanaging the economy and centralizing power, citing high inflation, unemployment and restrictions on dissent. These concerns form the backdrop against which the poll was conducted, though they were not addressed in the survey itself.
The results indicate that the CHP has edged ahead of the AKP among minimum-wage earners, a group long seen as part of Erdoğan’s working-class base. Despite the economic crisis, nearly one in three respondents said they would still back the ruling party
