The Nature of Left–Right Ideological Self‐placement in the Turkish Context

This essay examines the nature of the left–right dimension in the Turkish context. Using a nationwide representative survey conducted in 2006, the author estimates an ordered logit model to analyze the determinants of self‐placements on a conventional one‐to‐ten left–right scale. The analysis reveals first that the scale does not reflect a fine‐tuned grading along the ten‐point scale but rather creates ordered categories of “left,” “center,” and “right.” Given this constraint, the issue content persistently reflects the expected impacts of issues and demographic variables upon self‐placements. Lastly, the author underlines the importance of religiosity and qualifies its impact upon ideological self‐placements.