Istanbul survey: 70% expect a major earthquake soon

ISTANBUL, Türkiye — A public opinion survey conducted by the Istanbul Planning Agency, affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, found that 70% of Istanbul residents believe a devastating earthquake will strike the city in the near future. The poll was carried out by telephone with 751 participants as part of the agency's July Agenda Research, released on the 27th anniversary of the 1999 Marmara earthquake. The survey found that 69.6% of respondents expect a destructive earthquake in Istanbul, while 70.8% said they are worried about such a possibility. Concern was highest among those aged 18 to 35. Women reported higher anxiety levels at 78%, compared with 63.5% of men. Earthquakes were the most feared natural disaster, cited by 91.5% of participants, followed by fires, forest fires, floods and inundations. Despite the widespread concern, 50.9% of respondents said they had taken no precautions against a potential earthquake. Among those who did prepare, 28.5% said they had assembled an earthquake bag, 18.4% had checked the seismic resilience of their buildings and 10.1% had secured heavy household items.