A ‘common future’ in Cyprus? Public opinion in Cyprus on the Settlement Process

Abstract

In this paper, we examine public opinion on the potentials of a ‘common future’ arguably promoted by “other community perceptions”, “national / cultural identity”, “top priority of national goals”, “index of Cypriotness”, and “trust” in Cyprus, from the viewpoints of the two Cypriot Communities. The core question is what lies under the differences in attitudes and expectations from the peace process between the two communities? In other words, which factors determine Cypriots’ willingness for and desirability of a peaceful solution to the Cyprus ‘impasse’? We suggest a close relationship between ‘empathy’ shared by the two Cypriot communities and the trust for community leaders, and prospects for a common future depleted from misunderstandings, hatred and fears of ordinary citizens. This paper expects to contribute to the discussion by providing possible suggestions for decision makers for a ‘common future’ for common and long-term interests as desired by people yet to be designed by the decision-makers themselves. To this end, we provide a rigorous empirical investigation into comparative public attitudes presenting a quantitative discussion of the “2009 - Cyprus 2015 – Research and Dialogue for a Sustainable Future” survey.