The poll shows only a small majority supporting an Iranian program for peaceful nuclear energy—but it also shows a large minority supportive of a nuclear weapons program.
Only 57 percent of those polled backed a program for peaceful use of the atom. But 40 percent of those polled said Iran ought to build nuclear weapons.
The poll was conducted by Gallup in December and January by phoning into 1,000 Iranian homes from abroad.
The poll showed a big difference among Iranians depending on their level of education.
Those with little education had less interest in peaceful uses of nuclear energy than the better educated. When it came to military uses, however, those with little education gave more support than the better educated.
A plurality of those with a university degree opposes Iran building nuclear weapons. A plurality of those without a university degree favors Iran building nuclear weapons.
The government says quite loudly and repeatedly that it has no nuclear military program and condemns the whole idea of such a program. So, large segments of the Iranian population clearly are not listening to the government.
Most surprising is how few of the uneducated support even a peaceful nuclear program. Common wisdom holds that the bulk of the public backs peaceful nuclear uses. The regime flogs the issue daily and regularly sponsors demonstrations with citizens waving signs that say, “Nuclear power is our national right.”
But that doesn’t seem to sell with the poor. Only 46 percent of those with a primary education (or less) supported peaceful nuclear power, while 59 percent of those with a high school diploma and 76 percent of the those with a university degree backed peaceful nuclear power.
More than a third of the uneducated had no opinion on either peaceful or military nuclear programs. That was twice the proportion of those with more than a primary education who had no opinion. That large a proportion of the uneducated with no opinion suggests they are not being led around by the nose by the regime and have doubts about what the regime tells them.
The Gallup poll also asked Iranians if they thought Iran should sever ties with any country that imposes sanctions on Iran, which includes every country in the world since the United Nations has imposed modest sanctions on Iran.
For that question, a slight majority of 52 percent of those with no more than a primary education took the anti-foreign view and advocated severing ties, while a plurality among the college graduates opposed such action.
A separate Gallup Poll questioned Americans on whether they had favorable or unfavorable views of 23 foreign countries. There were no surprises in that poll. Iran managed to barely beat out North Korea for the most disliked regime in the world. The poll did manage to find 10 percent of Americans who had a favorable view of Iran and 13 percent with a favorable view of North Korea.
In more than two decades of such polls, the best Iran has ever done was a 17 percent favorable rating in 2004, which was the last full year of President Khatami’s term.
At the other end of the poll, 96 percent of Americans felt favorably toward Canada, a record high for the country that always tops this poll. Canada was followed by Australia and Great Britain, the two other English-speaking countries in the poll.
In a third Gallup poll, taken early this month, 90 percent of Americans said they see the military power of Iran as a threat to the United States, something the leadership of the US armed forces would not necessarily agree with.
A total of 61 percent said Iran posed a “critical” military threat to the United States over the next 10 years with another 29 percent saying Iran would be an “important” threat. A mere 8 percent said Iran did not pose a military threat, and only 2 percent had no opinion.
Majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents all agreed that Iran posed a “critical” threat to the United States.