Data comes first
Every study begins with systematically collected data. No claim is advanced on what has not been measured; the conclusion is whatever the findings show.
Institute for Community Studies
Understanding society through data
The Institute for Community Studies is a research structure now in preparation under the UKAŞ roof. Its purpose: to study social life on the basis of data, turn findings into openly accessible publications, and make room for young researchers.
Why an institute?
Public debate about social life in Türkiye often runs on impressions and assumptions, while systematic data and patient analysis are squeezed to the margins. The institute starts from that gap: measuring society before talking about it, understanding before interpreting.
The institute is being founded under a company roof because its continuity will rest on UKAŞ's own resources rather than donation cycles. Its research agenda, in turn, will be set independently of commercial expectations — by looking at the question itself.
Research, analysis, institute and education activities are registered headings of the articles of association; the institute is the first institutional step within that scope.
Working principles
Open access
Everything the institute produces — reports, datasets and methodological notes included — is made freely accessible to everyone.
Room for young researchers
Undergraduate and graduate researchers take part in projects as co-leads, not guests; the first publication opportunity is theirs.
Across disciplines
Sociology, law, economics and data science work at the same table; social questions do not fit within the borders of a single discipline.
Initial research agenda
The themes prioritized during the design phase. The definitive research program will be announced with the institute's founding.
Social identity and belonging
Which communities people define themselves through, and how belonging shapes both solidarity and polarization.
- How definitions of identity shift across generations
- Local belonging: ties to neighborhood, city and hometown
- Digital communities and new forms of belonging
- How polarization affects everyday relationships
Digitalization and everyday life
How digital tools transform the ways people work, learn and relate — and the social consequences of unequal access.
- The impact of remote work on family and urban life
- Inequality of digital access: age, income and geography
- Social media and news consumption habits
- Perceptions of artificial intelligence in working life
Law and society
How legal rules play out in everyday life, and the practical barriers standing before access to justice.
- Cost and information barriers to accessing justice
- Legal literacy: knowledge of rights and obligations
- Awareness of mediation and alternative dispute resolution
- The impact of enforcement and bankruptcy processes on household economies
Generations and education
What younger generations expect from education and working life; the differences in values and opportunities between generations.
- What young people expect from education and how they see the future
- Transmission of values between generations and points of divergence
- Education–employment alignment: the first five years after graduation
- Lifelong learning and the transformation of skills
The research cycle
Every project passes through the same four steps; no step is skipped, and no finding is published without its method.
Question
Every project begins with a single, measurably defined question; the scope is drawn from the question — never the other way around.
Data
Field surveys, in-depth interviews and publicly available datasets are used together; the limits of each source are documented from the start.
Analysis
Findings are reported together with their method; margins of uncertainty are not hidden but shown plainly to the reader.
Open publication
The report, the dataset and the methodological note are published together, so that anyone who wishes can reproduce every finding.
Publication formats
The institute will publish in four standard formats — all of them open access.
Report
The main publication gathering all findings on a research question.
Data note
A short, numbers-first format presenting a single finding.
Methods note
A technical companion documenting how the data was collected and processed.
Working paper
An early version of ongoing research, opened up for discussion.
Young Researchers Program
The program will open together with the institute’s founding; its working principles are already set.
Co-lead partnership
Undergraduate and graduate researchers join projects not as data collectors but as partners from design to publication.
First-publication right
In the first publication of a project, the young researcher’s name comes first; academic labor is made visible.
Co-mentorship
Every young researcher is paired with an experienced one, receiving methods and writing support throughout.
Data and research ethics
Protection of personal data
All fieldwork is conducted in compliance with Turkish data protection law (KVKK, Law No. 6698); personal data is never used beyond the research purpose.
Anonymity
Participant data is anonymized at the moment of collection; no finding in any publication can be linked to an individual.
Informed consent
Participation is voluntary; every participant knows from the outset how their data will be used and may withdraw at any time.
Methodological transparency
Every publication states its method, sample and limitations openly; findings that cannot be reproduced are not published.
The founding path
Registered scope
Research, institute and education activities were registered in the Ankara Trade Registry through the UKAŞ articles of association.
Design phase
The research agenda, publication principles and working model are taking shape; the first program will be announced at the end of this phase.
First research program
The first research program and publication schedule will be announced on this page.
Publications
All of the institute's publications will be listed on this page, openly accessible to everyone. The first publications will be announced together with the research program.
Collaboration with the institute
Proposals for research collaboration and enquiries from prospective young researchers are welcome.
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