The survey, conducted by Bogazici University in Istanbul, showed that a majority of Turks favor membership in the EU and would be willing to scrap the death penalty, but only if it were replaced with life in prison without parole.

The survey, conducted in 17 provincial centers as well as in 25 major cities according to random sampling and covering 3,060 people, showed that 90 percent of Turks are dissatisfied with Turkey's democracy and want a major overhaul of the system. The survey had an error margin of plus or minus 1.8 percent.

The poll showed that 64 percent of the respondents favor EU membership, 30 percent oppose it and 6 percent do not want to respond.

The survey comes at a time when Turkey's coalition government partners are at odds over the reforms the country needs to carry, to advance its longstanding bid to join the 15-nation group.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's nationalist partners recently sharpened their opposition to reforms, threatening to withdraw from the government rather than support such measures as scrapping capital punishment and taking steps to legalize broadcasts and education in the Kurdish language.

The nationalists want to see Kurdish separatist terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan executed and fear that greater minority rights would break up the country along ethnic lines.

The poll showed that 60 percent of those questioned said they are "not at all happy" with the functioning of Turkey's democracy, while 30 percent said they were "not happy." Only 9 percent said they were satisfied and only 1 percent said they were "very happy."

The surveyed showed that 91 percent of those surveyed said equality before the law should never be compromised, even under extraordinary conditions. Also, 90 percent said freedom of religion and conscious should not be compromised at all. This fell to 85 percent for freedom of expression, 83 percent for torture, 74 for freedom of expression and 74 percent for the right to speak in one's mother tongue.

According to the survey, 76 percent of the participants do not know what the Copenhagen criteria are; 14 percent had some idea while 10 percent say they know what they are and what is required of Turkey.

Asked if they would support EU membership if Kurdish language broadcast rights were the only vital condition for Turkey's accession, 56 percent said they would oppose it, while 39 percent said they would back it; 5 percent did not respond. Asked the same question among Kurdish speaking citizens, 69 percent supported language rights, while 27 percent opposed; 4 percent did not respond.

Asked if they would support EU membership if Kurdish language education as a special course was a vital precondition, 58 percent said they would oppose it, while 37 percent said they would support it; 5 percent did not respond. Among Kurdish speaking respondents, 68 percent said they would support it, while 29 percent said they would oppose it.

Asked if they would support the lifting of the death penalty for all crimes and convicts if this was a precondition for Turkey's EU membership, 54 percent said they would not, while 43 percent said they would; 3 percent did not respond. When those who opposed the lifting of capital punishment were asked if they would agree to lifting the death penalty, provided it was replaced by life imprisonment without parole, 62 percent said "yes" and 34 percent "no."

The total support for the lifting of the death penalty and replacing it with life imprisonment without parole was 62 percent, while those who oppose it stood at 33 percent.

Meanwhile, 42 percent said they believed that their lives would improve with EU membership; only 20 percent said their life would change for the worse.

The researchers found that 77 percent of respondents would not consider migrating to European countries if prosperity in Turkey increased.

In the poll, 49 percent said they see the EU as a "Christian Club," while 42 percent believe that the group has room for a Muslim country.

Turks cited defence and national and religious values as two areas where they fear EU membership would infringe on Turkish sovereignty.

In a country where the military remains one of the most trusted institutions, 50 percent said they wanted to see the military's role over politics diminish, while 32 percent said the role should not be reduced.

Some 42 percent oppose giving concessions during talks for a solution to the divided island of Cyprus; 40 percent said they would not oppose concessions.

The EU is demanding that Turkey improve its human rights record and institute more democratic reforms before it can be considered for membership.