A new public opinion survey presented by CyBC shows that post-war generations mainly get information about the tragic events of 1974 from outside school, primarily from family and relatives.
Asked whether school is their main source on 1974, only 10% answered yes. Another 48% said they are informed mainly outside school, while 37% cited both.
Outside-school sources
Among extra-school sources, 64% named family and other relatives, 30% cited friends and acquaintances. One in four mentioned the media and books and 22% said they have personal experiences.
Among those born after 1974, large majorities pointed to the family environment as their main source:
• Ages 18–24: 68%
• Ages 25–34: 81%
• Ages 35–44: 67%
• Ages 45–54: 71%
In the 45–54 group, 5% said they lived through the events.
Emotions associated with 1974
The memory of 1974 still triggers negative emotions. Anger or indignation was reported by 28%, disappointment by 24%, and sadness by 22%. Other emotions were recorded at much lower levels.
Participants were asked who they consider responsible for the coup. Most pointed to the junta at 41% and to EOKA B and Grivas at 34% while 15% blamed Makarios and the then government, 11% cited foreign actors.
Could the invasion have been handled better
76% believe the Turkish invasion could have been handled more effectively. Regarding the stance of foreign actors, 87% said the United Kingdom’s position favoured Turkish plans, 84% said the same of the United States, and 77% of Greece. NATO followed at 63% and the United Nations at 42%. Specifically on Greece, 67% believe it was in a position to help Cyprus militarily during the second phase of the invasion.
Respondents were also asked about their satisfaction with last year’s actions marking the 50th anniversary of the coup and invasion. 39% said CyBC fulfilled this mission very or fairly well. The Presidency scored 27%, the Church 23% and municipalities 21%. Parliament, political parties and the Ministry of Defence each received 20%.
The survey recorded Cypriot public attitudes toward the 50-year anniversary of the 1974 coup and Turkish invasion. It was divided into three chapters: social perception of the 1974 events, attitudes toward the events, and an assessment of the anniversary.
Methodology
The poll was conducted for the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) by MRC Cypronetwork from 29 September to 17 October, with a sample of 1,422 people.
It was carried out nationwide via telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire, without a ballot. It covered the general population aged 18 and over with the right to vote. The sampling method was random multistage stratified sampling.
CyBC presented the survey in a special television programme on Thursday evening. It is the first in a series of public opinion surveys that CyBC will air ahead of the parliamentary elections in May. The second part of this survey will be broadcast tonight, Friday, at 21:00 on CyBC One.