American Public Opinion Toward Iran

(2010-2012)

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How concerned are you about the prospect of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons? (AJC, April 30, 2012)

Very Concerned	56%
Somewhat Concerned	33%
Not Too Concerned	9%
Not Concerned At All	2%
No Response	0%

How likely do you think it is that a combination of diplomacy and sanctions can stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons? (AJC, April 30, 2012)

Very Likely	5%
Somewhat Likely	37%
Somewhat Unlikley	35%
Very Unlikely	21%
No Response	2%

If diplomacy and sanctions fail, would you support or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons? (AJC, April 30, 2012)

Support Strongly	28%
Somewhat Support	36%
Oppose Somewhat	24%
Oppose Strongly	10%
No Response	2%

If diplomacy and sanctions fail, would you support or oppose Israel taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons? (AJC, April 30, 2012)

Support Strongly	39%
Somewhat Support	36%
Oppose Somewhat	14%
Oppose Strongly	11%
No Response	1%

Would you support U.S. military action against Iran if there were evidence of a nuclear weapons program? (Reuters/Ipsos, March 11, 2012)

Yes	56%
No	39%

Would you support U.S. military action against Iran if it led to higher gasoline prices? (Reuters/Ipsos, March 11, 2012)

Yes	53%
No	42%

Would you support Israeli military action against Iran if there were evidence of a nuclear weapons program? (Reuters/Ipsos, March 11, 2012)

Yes

62%

Would you support U.S. military action against Iran? (Reuters/Ipsos, March 11, 2012)

	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Yes	70%	46%	51%

As you may know, some peiole are calling for Israel to conduct a military strike against Iran's nuclear program before it makes further progress. Others are arguing that it is better to wait for the newly-increased sanctions against Iran to take effect and that the US and other major powers should continue pursuing negotiations with Iran. Do you favor: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Israel conducting a military strike against Iran's nuclear program	24%	38%	17%	17%
The US and other major powers continuing to pursue negotiations with Iran	69%	58%	79%	67%
Don't know/Refused	7%	--	--	--

Do you think that Iran is: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Producing nuclear fuel strictly for its energy needs	6%	2%	6%	10%
Has decided to produce nuclear weapons and is actively working to do so	58%	73%	56%	44%
Is developing some of the technical ability necessary to produce nuclear weapons, but has not decided whether to produce them	30%	24%	35%	32%
Don't know/Refused	6%	--	--	--

How likely do you think it is that Iran will eventually develop nuclear weapons? (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Very likely	49%	63%	44%	39%
Somewhat likely	40%	33%	49%	37%
Not very likely	4%	2%	4%	5%
Not likely at all	3%	0%	2%	8%
Don't know/Refused	3%	--	--	--

Suppose Iran develops nuclear weapons. Do you think that: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Iran would be likely to use them against Israel because it is so hostile toward Israel	62%	80%	56%	50%
Iran would be deterred from striking Israel for fear of being destroyed in a nuclear retaliatory strike	32%	17%	41%	36%
Don't know/Refused	6%	--	--	--

If Iran develops nuclear weapons, which of the following concerns you the most: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Iran would actually use nuclear waepons against the US or its allies	44%	57%	39%	35%
This would lead other countries in the region to develop nuclear arms, leading to an arms race	19%	11%	26%	18%
Iran would feel emboldened to pursue aggressive policies toward the US and its allies	24%	26%	23%	23%
None of these	9%	4%	9%	15%
Don't know/Refused	4%	--	--	--

If Iran were to develop nuclear weapons, which TWO of the following do you think is most likely to occur: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Iran would acrually use nuclear weapons against the US or its allies	47%	61%	40%	38%
This would lead other countries in the region to develop nuclear arms, leading to an arms race	44%	45%	50%	33%
Iran would feel emboldened to pursue aggressive policies toward the US and its allies	52%	60%	54%	39%
Stability would increase, since both Iran and Israel would be deterred by the other's ability to destroy them	8%	5%	10%	10%
Not much will change in the region	15%	8%	16%	23%

Currently there is some debate about what stance the US should take in relation to the possibility that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear program. You will see three arguments on this issue. Please select how convincing you find each of them. (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

1. The US should discourage Israel from attacking Iran's nuclear program. There are huge risks to US national interests, since Iran may attack US assets in retaliation, pulling the US into a war. Oil prices will skyrocket. Furthermore, US military leaders say the most that could be achieved would be to slow down Iran's nuclear program a bit and probably just lead them to rebuild it underground.

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
very convincing	17%	12%	26%	12%
somewhat convincing	54%	55%	58%	46%
somewhat unvoncincing	17%	22%	10%	20%
very unconvincing	7%	10%	5%	7%
Don't know/Refused	2%	--	--	--

2. The US should take a neutral stance. Israel has a right to take actions it sees as necessary for its own defense. Meanwhile, the US should think about its own interests and make a clear statement distancing itself from whatever Israel may choose to do, to reduce the chance that Iran will retaliate against US targets.

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
very convincing	11%	10%	14%	8%
somewhat convincing	41%	39%	46%	37%
somewhat unvoncincing	30%	32%	30%	27%
very unconvincing	15%	18%	11%	16%
Don't know/Refused	4%	--	--	--

3. The US should encourage Israel to attack Iran's nuclear program. Clearly Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, and if Israel will take the heat for stopping or at least slowing down the program, all the better for the US. The risk of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons is of greater concern than the fallout from an Israeli strike.

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
very convincing	8%	11%	7%	5%
somewhat convincing	30%	31%	24%	35%
somewhat unvoncincing	33%	34%	39%	23%
very unconvincing	24%	22%	28%	21%
Don't know/Refused	5%	--	--	--

So now, do you think the US should: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Discourage Israel from attacking Iran's nuclear program	34%	30%	44%	24%
Take a neutral stance	46%	43%	47%	50%
Encourage Israel to attack Iran's nuclear program	14%	23%	7%	13%
Don't know/refused	6%	--	--	--

In dealing with the problem of Iran's nuclear program, do you think that the US should: (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Primarily act by itself	20%	28%	11%	20%
Try to primarily act through the UN Security Council	74%	69%	86%	64%
Don't know/refused	6%	--	--	--

Suppose Israel strikes and Iran retaliates by striking back at Israel, but Iran does not attack any US targets. What do you think the US should do? (University of Maryland, March 3-7, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
Provide whatever help Israel requests, including military forces	25%	41%	16%	16%
Publicly support Israel's actions, but do not provide military support	14%	18%	15%	7%
Stay neutral and do not get involved	22%	14%	25%	29%
Stay neutral and actively work to get both sides to stop the fighting	27%	21%	34%	25%
Publicly oppose Israel's actions	2%	1%	3%	1%
Actively distance the US from Israel by stopping military aid	4%	2%	6%	6%
Don't know/refused	6%	--	--	--

As you may know, the US government has recommended that Israel not strike Iran. If Israel strikes anyway, what do you believe the US government's reaction WOULD be? (University of Maryland, March 12, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
It would support Israel diplomatically, but not provide military assistance	32%	35%	43%	15%
It would join the war on Israel's behalf	22%	29%	18%	20%
It would stay neutral	30%	24%	30%	37%
It would punish Israel by reducing its current support to Israel	10%	10%	9%	12%
Don't know/refused	5%	--	--	--

If Israel were to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, in your estimation, how long would an armed conflict between Iran and Israel last? (University of Maryland, March 12, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
days	9%	14%	8%	6%
weeks	12%	15%	11%	10%
months	26%	24%	30%	22%
years	48%	44%	51%	47%
Don't know/refused	6%	--	--	--

If Israel were to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, in your view, how would this affect the Iranian government? (University of Maryland, March 12, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
It would be weakened	42%	48%	41%	35%
It would be strengthened	30%	27%	35%	24%
It would have no effect	21%	22%	21%	23%
Don't know/refused	7%	--	--	--

What do you believe the likely outcome would be if Israel were to strike Iran: (University of Maryland, March 12, 2012)

	Total	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
It would delay Iran's capabilities to develop nuclear weapons by 1-2 years	20%	21%	22%	18%
It would delay Iran's capabilities by 3-5 years	22%	33%	21%	11%
It would delay Iran's capabilities by more than 5 years	18%	19%	18%	18%
It would accelerate Iran's nuclear program	22%	15%	28%	22%
It would have no effect on Iran's nuclear program	9%	7%	9%	11%
Don't know/refused	8%	--	--	--

Is it more important to... (Pew, February 15, 2012)

Prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action	58%
Avoid military conflict, even if Iran may develop nuclear weapons	30%
Other/don't know	13%

If Israel attacks Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program, what should the U.S. do? (Pew, February 15, 2012)

Support Israel's action	39%
Oppose Israel's action	5%
Stay neutral	51%
Other/don't know	13%

How likely is it that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon in the near future? (Rassmusen Reports, February 4-5, 2012)

somewhat likely	33%
very likely	50%
not very or not at all likely	11%

If Israel attacks Iran, should the United States help Israel, help Iran, or do nothing? (Rassmusen Reports, February 4-5, 2012)

help Israel

48%

Should the US be willing to use military force to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons? (Pulse Opinion Research, February 2, 2012)

Yes	49%
No	31%
Not sure	20%

How concerned are you about a terrorist attack on the US by Iran? (Pulse Opinion Research, February 2, 2012)

Very concerned	23%
Somewhat concerned	39%
Not very concerned	25%
Not at all concerned	12%
Not sure	0%

Among likely U.S. voters: Do you believe the U.S. should use military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons if diplomatic efforts fail? (Rassmusen Reports, November 14, 2011)

Yes	38%
No	35%

Which of the following describes your view of Iran: Iran is an immediate threat to the security of the Middle East, a threat to the security of the Middle East in the future, a potential threat further down the road, or no threat at all? (ADL, October 23, 2011)

	2007	2009	2011
Immediate threat	26%	40%	38%
Threat in the near future	24%	23%	14%
Porential threat further down the road	30%	22%	32%
No threat at all	7%	5%	7%

Do you believe that Iran is developing nuclear weapons? (ADL, October 23, 2011)

	2007	2009	2011
Agree strongly	42%	64%	49%
Agree total	71%	83%	80%

Do you think that Israel should take military action to keep Iran from developing or trying to develop a nuclear weapons program ? (ADL, October 23, 2011)

	2007	2009	2011
Yes	42%	57%	57%
No	46%	32%	31%

Do you think that the United States should take military action to keep Iran from developing or trying to develop a nuclear weapons program ? (ADL, October 23, 2011)

	2007	2009	2011
Yes	47%	54%	50%
No	39%	34%	44%

If Iran attains nuclear weapons do you believe Iran would use them to attack Israel? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

Yes	75.7%
No	12.8%
(DK/refused)	11.5%

If Iran attains nuclear weapons do you believe Iran would use them to attack United States military bases and ships in the Persian Gulf and Middle East? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

Yes	69.8%
No	20.6%
(DK/refused)	9.6%

If Iran attains nuclear weapons do you believe Iran would arm terrorists who would use the nuclear weapons to attack the United States? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

Yes	79.9%
No	12.0%
(DK/refused)	8.1%

If sanctions against Iran do not work, would you approve or disapprove of using the military to attack and destroy the facilities in Iran which are necessary to produce a nuclear weapon? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

	September 2011
Approve	63.5
Strongly approve	39.1
Somewhat approve	24.4
Disapprove	23.3
Somewhat disapprove	8.5
Strongly disapprove	14.8
Don't know/refused	13.2

Which country is the greatest threat to the United States? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

	September 2011
Iran	34.8
China	33.7
North Korea	17.6
Russia	3.9
Venezuela	1.3
Other	3.0
Don't know/refused	5.7

Which country is the second greatest threat to the United States? (Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

	September 2011
Iran	28.0
China	16.2
North Korea	29.1
Russia	8.1
Venezuela	4.6
Other	1.6
Don't know/refused	12.4

Please rate using a one to one hundred scale, where one means you have a cold/very unfavorable feeling, one hundred means you have a warm/very favorable feeling and fifty is neutral, your feelings toward Iran. (The Israel Project)

	5/06	5/07	9/07	12/07	8/09	11/10	12/10	2/11	4/11	6/11
Total cold/unfavorable feelings	69%	71%	66%	72%	62%	75%	61%	63%	67%	70%
Total warm/favorable feelings	9%	11%	8%	8%	10%	7%	10%	8%	8%	7%

Iran is currently developing a nuclear weapon. When Iran is able to produce a nuclear weapon, how likely do you think it is that Iran would do each of the following? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

"Launch a nuclear missile attack on the United States."

Not likely
45.4%

Somewhat likely
34.3%

Very likely
15.4%

Don't know/Refused to answer
4.8%

"Launch a nuclear missile attack on Israel."

Not likely
14.8%

Somewhat likely
35.9%

Very likely
44.0%

Don't know/Refused to answer
5.3%

"Provide nuclear weapons to terrorists."

Not likely
9.2%

Somewhat likely
27.8%

Very likely
57.4%

Don't know/Refused to answer
5.5%

Would you approve or disapprove of the following proposals? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

"Using the military to attack and destroy the facilities in Iran which are necessary to produce a nuclear weapon, if sanctions do not work."

Approve
59.8%

Disapprove
29.9%

Don't know/Refused to answer
10.3%

"Allowing Israel to attack and destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program facilities, if sanctions do not work."

Approve
58.4%

Disapprove
29.5%

Don't know/Refused to answer
12.1%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "I am strongly opposed to the use of military force by Israel or the United States to attack Iran." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree	35.9%
Disagree	52.8%
Don't know/Refused to answer	11.4%

If sanctions against Iran fail, and Israel were to attack Iran to stop them from developing a nuclear weapons, in your opinion, would this be an act of self defense, or an act of aggression? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Self defense	63.4%
Aggression	25.7%
Don't know/Refused to answer	10.9%

If Israel were to attack Iran to stop them from developing a nuclear weapon, in your opinion, would this endanger the United States, or enhance the security of the world? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Endanger U.S.	37.9%
Enhance world security	39.9%
Don't know/Refused to answer	22.2%

Many experts say that Iran is currently developing nuclear weapons. Can the United States be safe with a nuclear Iran? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes	16.0%
No	75.7%
Don't know/Refused to answer	8.3%

President Obama is pursuing a policy of diplomacy and sanctions to stop the Iran nuclear program. Do you think this policy will succeed? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes	28.0%
No	58.6%
Don't know/Refused to answer	13.4%

Do you think President Obama's policies toward Iran will stop them from getting nuclear weapons? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes	12.8%
No	78.5%
Don't know/Refused to answer	8.7%

Do you think President Obama's failure to stop Iran's nuclear program would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes	50.3%
No	33.8%
Don't know/Refused to answer	15.9%

How serious a threat to the United States do you view the following? "Iran will use its nuclear weapons to threaten the supply of Middle Eastern oil to the United States and its allies." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Not a threat	9.8%
Somewhat serious threat	41.2%
Very serious threat	44.6%
Don't know/Refused to answer	4.4%

Which of the following would cause you to support a war with Iran? (60 Minutes/Vanity Fair, September 2010)

Only if Iran attacks U.S. soil	25%
If Iran attacks the U.S. fleet	25%
If Iran tests a nuclear bomb	11%
If Iran attacks Israel	10%
Nothing	24%

Is Iran an ally of the United States, an enemy of the United States or somewhere in between? (Rasmussen, August 2010)

Ally	2%
Enemy	57%
Somewhere in between	37%
Not sure	5%

Iran says that its uranium enrichment program is for developing energy. Is Iran's nuclear program to develop energy or to develop weapons? (Rasmussen, August 2010)

Develop energy	7%
Develop weapons	66%
Not sure	27%

How likely is it that Iran will soon develop nuclear weapons? (Rasmussen, August 2010)

Very likely	53%
Somewhat likely	27%
Not very likely	8%
Not at all likely	2%
Not sure	11%

If Israel attacks Iran, should the United States help Israel, help Iran, or do nothing? (Rasmussen, August 2010)

Help Israel	51%
Help Iran	2%
Do nothing	35%
Not sure	12%

Now that Iran has enriched uranium, do you believe that it will be easier for terrorist groups all over the world to acquire nuclear weapons? (The Israel Project, March 2010)

Definitely	53.0%
Possibly	26.8%
Not sure	7.7%
Unlikely	8.0%
Definitely not	2.0%
Don't know/Refused to answer	2.5%

Now that Iran has enriched uranium, do you believe they will pursue their threat to "wipe Israel off the map?" (The Israel Project, March 2010)

Definitely	33.5%
Possibly	30.5%
Not sure	14.8%
Unlikely	11.2%
Definitely not	5.0%
Don't know/Refused to answer	5.0%

Which statement comes closer to your own opinion... (The Israel Project)

	October 2008	January 2009	August 2009	December 2009	February 2010
With all the problems that America is facing at home now, we should reduce our efforts to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.	23%	18%	13%	19%	24%
Even with all the problems that American faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.	72%	79%	84%	78%	69%
Don't know/Refused to answer	4%	3%	3%	4%	4%

Do you favor or oppose the expansion of international economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran if they do not stop their nuclear program? (The Israel Project)

	October 2009	February 2010
Favor	80%	73%
Oppose	15%	19%
Don't know/Refused to answer	4%	8%