For the first time in a University of Cyprus survey on acceptance of potential solutions to the Cyprus problem, the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation surpassed the unitary state solution in terms of acceptance.
The findings of the study were analyzed on the Alpha News program by Haris Psaltis, Professor of Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cyprus.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As he explained, this is a major research project by the University of Cyprus, in which data is collected every two years.
Support for the DDO is on the rise among Greek Cypriots, with only 21% rejecting it.
As Mr. Psaltis explained, there are two subgroups among those who accept the solution: those who clearly accept the DDO and those who neither accept nor reject it, but could accept it if necessary.
Meanwhile, the rates of acceptance of the DDO in the two communities are converging.
Regarding the process, 82.8% of Greek Cypriots prefer an active path toward the resumption of negotiations, with only 17.2% favoring that they not resume.
Another important aspect examined by the survey is contact between the two communities, which is considered crucial for reducing prejudices. As the survey shows, half of Greek Cypriots have no contact with Turkish Cypriots.
At the same time, as Mr. Psaltis noted, the University of Cyprus has developed an interactive tool through which citizens can select parameters for a solution to the Cyprus problem, based on the Guterres framework, allowing them to see—based on existing data—whether the “package” would be acceptable to at least 55% Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in a referendum.
