STORY: High inflation takes its toll on Turks' quality of life
DATELINE: Aug. 5, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:12
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of streets in Ankara
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): MERT EKER, Lawyer
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): AHMET ATES, Staff of a Cleaning Company 
4. various of Turks participating in cultural activities (courtesy of Ihlas news agency)
 
STORYLINE:
 
Financial troubles caused by Türkiye's persistent inflation have impacted the cultural life for its citizens, who have to cut back on the spending of social and cultural activities, a recent survey showed.
 
More than 90 percent of Turks have not participated in any cultural activity in the past 12 months, and the lack of financial resources and interest are the main reasons for the situation, according to the results of a survey published by the Turkish Statistical Institute on July 24.
 
In the past year, 85.3 percent of Turks aged 15 and above have not gone to the cinema, 93.7 percent have not attended live performances, 92 percent have not visited cultural sites and 94.9 percent have not participated in live sports events, according to the survey, which did not reveal the number of people it polled.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): MERT EKER, Lawyer
"We are a family of three and we don't have a life of luxuries. In the past 12 months, we had to protect ourselves (from the cost-of-living crisis). In the past, we used to go twice a month or at least once a month to social and cultural events, but in the past 12 months, we only went to the opera once with my wife.
Everything has become expensive in this inflationary economy, and we have lost the sense of prices as they are fluctuating constantly. Therefore, our priority is for primary needs. Everything else is secondary."
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): AHMET ATES, Employee of a Cleaning Company
"I have not been able to attend a cultural event, not only in the last 12 months but it has been quite a long time, a couple of years."
 
Years of high inflation and the depreciation of Türkiye's currency have led to a decline of living standards for the Turks, some of whom live on the official minimum monthly wage of about 11,400 liras (422 U.S. dollars).
 
After his re-election in May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to tackle inflation and increased the minimum wage to help improve the living standards of workers.
 
The country's annual inflation rate dipped to 38.2 percent in June after reaching a 24-year high of 85.51 percent in October 2022. However, it recorded a significant uptick in July to 47.83 percent, according to official data released on Thursday.
 
In late July, the Turkish central bank predicted that the annual inflation rate would reach 58 percent by the end of the year.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)