This essay analyzes the change in value orientations of Turkish society in recent decades with reference to the Europeanization process the country has been going through, particularly that embodied in the European Union accession process. As the Europeanization of Turkish political culture is closely related to the consolidation of democracy, the change in value orientations sustaining democracy would be an indicator showing the extent of societal Europeanization in Turkey. Based on the World Values Survey, changes in secular-rational and self-expression value orientations of Turkish society are examined vis-à-vis those dominant in European societies. Levels of religiosity, interpersonal trust, and social tolerance are selected for cross-cultural comparison. The essay elaborates on the reasons Turkish society has been diverging from European societies on value orientations at a time when the country has been experiencing a vast socioeconomic change, with millions of people moving into the middle class.
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