Posted on 07/11/2007 12:41:24 PM PDT by nuconvert
Iran: Unprecedented Nationwide Survey
Discontent with the current system of government, the state of Iran’s economy, and isolation from the West is widespread throughout Iran. In this context, nuclear weapons are the lowest priority for the Iranian people. Iranians even overwhelmingly support their government providing full inspections and a guarantee not to develop nuclear weapons in return for trade and assistance from other countries. The popular will to live in a democracy open to the West and the United States, with greater economic opportunity, comes from every region and segment of Iranian society. These are among the significant findings of the first nationwide public opinion survey of Iran on these issues since President Ahmadinejad took office in August 2005.
The survey was conducted by telephone from June 5th to June 18th, 2007, with 1,000 interviews proportionally distributed according to the population covering all 30 provinces of Iran. The last poll to ask similar controversial questions was conducted in September 2003 by Abbas Abdi inside Iran, who was imprisoned as a result.
Developing nuclear weapons was seen as a very important priority for the Iranian government by only 29% of Iranians. By contrast, 88% of Iranians considered improving the Iranian economy as a very important priority for their government. Rather, 80% of Iranians favor Iran providing full inspections and a guarantee not to develop or possess nuclear weapons in return for outside aid.
(excerpt)
68% of Iranians also favor normal relations and trade with the United States. In return for normal relations, a majority of Iranians favor recognizing Israel and Palestine as independent states, ending Iranian support for any armed groups inside Iraq, and full transparency by Iran to the United States to ensure there are no Iranian endeavors to develop nuclear weapons.
Yet the most significant finding of our survey for Iran’s present rulers may be the Iranian people’s opposition to their current system of government. 61% of Iranians were willing to tell our pollsters over the phone that they oppose the current Iranian system of government, where the Supreme Leader rules according to religious principles and cannot be chosen or replaced by direct vote of the people.
Even more telling, however, over 79% of Iranians support a democratic system instead, where the Supreme Leader, along with all leaders, can be chosen and replaced by a free and direct vote of the people.
(See original source link for the questions asked, methodology and more information)
Link to survey here ......
http://www.terrorfreetomorrow.org/upimagestft/TFT%20Iran%20Survey%20Report.pdf
Pong
I wonder if they get to see the results of the survey? It would certainly empower them.
The Iranian, (Persian) people are not stupid but they are oppressed. The more of it they get the greater will be the payback.
Obviously the results were somehow manipulated by the evil JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS. Look for yet another message from Zawahiri (or whatever that caveman’s name is) saying such.
Thanks! I saw this in the Wall Street Journal today.
They get to see the results if they have a computer and can get around the filters, or if they have friends outside Iran who send them email or tell them over the phone, or by word of mouth.
“France, the European Union and China were preferred by Iranians to the United States.”
“Iranians chose normal trade with China and France by a nearly 2 to 1 margin over the United States.”
Keen observers of Iran have insisted for years that the Iranian people are pro-Western, indeed pro-American, while opposed to the largely unelected clerical regime that rules them. For the first time, Terror Free Tomorrow's unprecedented nationwide poll of Iran offers indisputable empirical proof that these commentators are dead-on in their assessment of the "Iranian street."
Discontent with the current system of government, the economy and isolation from the West is widespread throughout Iran. In this context, nuclear weapons are the lowest priority for the Iranian people. The overwhelming popular will to live in a country open to the West and ...
Yup, I read that. That’s why I posted it here from the original source rather than WSJ.
:~ )
“Similarly, 73% of Iranians would favor a medical humanitarian hospital ship to visit Iran, with that percentage holding steady if the ship comes from China or Europe, but dropping to 42% if the ship is American and only 21% if the ship is Israeli.”
Maybe 21% is an improvement? ;)
Iran has lots of oil, but not the refineries to convert oil into gas.
So, wouldn’t it have been better to build refineries than reactors?
I feel sorry for the Iranian people. They don’t deserve the crappy government they have.
Where is that PR genuis Karen Hughes, getting fitted for her burka? JEEA, spend some money on sending the message of freedom to IRAN....especially since military options for responding to Iran entail even greater unknowable risks, and sanctions alone so far have proved inadequate, a strategy that also recognizes the consensus of the people of Iran themselves may realistically offer the best hope for all.
Regular Iranians realize this and they know quite well that they are being cut out of the U.S. market by their own government.
Being unable to make a decent living due to the actions of their government would light a fire under anyone. The fact that they are forced to make this sacrifice for the sole purpose of making their freak-o president look good just "adds insult to injury".
This reminds me of that old joke, “When will Saudi Arabian women get the right to vote? One day after the men do.” It’s obvious that the Theocracy is completely in charge in Iran. Anyone who’s waiting or praying for the “Iranian Moderates”, “Iranian Progressives” or “Iranian secular revolutionaries” to “rise up” is completely delusional. Which makes conducting “opinion surveys” a complete waste of time and money.
“It’s obvious that the Theocracy is completely in charge in Iran” “Which makes conducting “opinion surveys” a complete waste of time and money.”
I disagree. I think it’s significant when people who are oppressed and controlled by a brutal theocracy are willing to express opposition to the theocracy and it’s interesting to keep track of whether that number increases over time, indeed very telling if it does. Also good to know the general feelings of the population vs the garbage coming from gov’t. You can get an idea of how brainwashed the people may be or not and how loyal they may be to their gov’t or not - good to know if you’ve got ideas or plans of your own to instigate change.
thanks, bfl
Judas Priest! Some Head Are Gonna Roll!
I have two Persian friends that both support the claims of this article. They have relatives in Iran.
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