For the report prepared within the scope of the Future of Civil Society Project, members of 552 non-governmental organizations from 79 provinces were interviewed. In the study, the past, current state, institutional and individual motivations of civil society, the impact of the political climate on civil society, the thoughts and approaches of civil society workers about the problems of civil society were examined under six main headings.
CSOs are worried about the future but highly motivated
According to the research, motivation among civil society participants is still high with 91.9 percent. However, there is a widespread feeling of inadequacy in terms of activity, effectiveness and institutional capacity. The rate of those who think that activity is low is 78.6 percent, while the rate of those who argue that it has decreased is 52.6%. Nearly 50 percent are pessimistic about institutional capacity, dialogue, cooperation and effectiveness.
Civil society increased its influence
According to the report, while 35 percent think that the influence of civil society has increased compared to five years ago, 32.4 percent say it has neither increased nor decreased.
The rate of those who state social responsibility as the reason for being in civil society is high in each group. Creating benefits is another motivation frequently mentioned as the reason for being in civil society.
There is a divergence between more traditional and more rational motivations among those working in religious and secular organizations. While philanthropy, morality and conscience stand out among religious people, motivations such as social responsibility, transformation of society and advocacy for rights are more prominent in secularists. Opposition is one of the most background reasons in all groups.
Neither hope nor despair prevails in CSOs
While 29.2 percent of CSOs believe that civil society will improve within a year, 40 percent are neither hopeful nor hopeless, and 30.8% are not hopeful at all.
While pessimism is more dominant in the profession/sector-oriented group compared to other groups, those who do not think that civil society can improve with the deepening economic depression are in the majority. In general, all segments of civil society seem far from hopeful.
You can find the summary of the report here.