University students' perspective on begging as a social problem: The case of Sakarya University

Begging is a social phenomenon that has existed throughout history with material or spiritual reasons. Begging for both the beggar and those who help them is a process of mutual interaction. The subject of this study is the view of university students to beggars and begging. In other words, the question of how begging is perceived by people in higher education in the society has been tried to be answered. A questionnaire consisting of open and closed-ended questions was prepared for the research. This questionnaire has reached 552 people through face-to-face interviews and electronic media. The data obtained were transferred to computer programs and evaluated. Percentage and frequency tables, graphs and cross-tables are created. Chi-square test was used for hypothesis testing. Descriptive and explanatory results have been obtained. Participants are usually in the age of youth age group because they are university students. The majority of the participants are women and students continue to study in different departments. Most students see themselves as belonging to the middle socioeconomic status group. As a result of the research, the opinions of the participants on begging differ according to their socio-demographic characteristics. Particularly when compared to the areas of education there were significant differences about begging and beggars.