A quote from Ansa Med, 3 December 2007

[A] poll, published by the Milliyet daily today, shows that 69.4% of the Turkish women wear a veil, compared to 64.2% in 2003. Of these 16.2%, up by 3.5% compared to 2003, cover completely the hair with what is called 'turban', considered a religious symbol in Turkey. The women who wear 'carsaf' [the Turkish niqab], a large black veil that covers from head to toe, increased from 1.2% to 1.3%, while those who wear only a scarf are now 59.5% compared to 51.9% in 2003. Many women, especially in the rural areas, wear the veil out of a cultural tradition and not necessarily out of religious or ideological reasons. The poll shows that most of the women who choose to wear veil are aged between 18 and 28.