American Public Opinion Polls: Opinion Toward Iran
(2009)
Which one of the following would be the best approach toward Iran right now? (The Israel Project)
December 2007 | March 2008 | December 2009 | |
| Increased economic sanctions | 24% | 17% | 21% |
| Increased diplomatic pressure | 21% | 17% | 19% |
| Direct negotiations with Iran | 25% | 26% | 17% |
| U.S. Military action | 5% | 9% | 13% |
| Establish normalized relations with Iran | 14% | 15% | 11% |
| Easing economic and diplomatic sanctions | 9% | 8% | 8% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 3% | 7% | 7% |
How much of a chance do you think there is that diplomacy and negotiation by the United States government can stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons? (The Israel Project)
March 2008* | August 2009 | October 2009 | December 2009 | |
| A good change | 20% | 13% | 7% | 10% |
| Some chance | 34% | 25% | 21% | 23% |
| Little chance | 22% | 28% | 30% | 27% |
| Hardly any chance | 22% | 33% | 41% | 38% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
*Question read: “...diplomacy and sanctions...”
Which statement comes closer to your own opinion... (The Israel Project)
October 2008 | January 2009 | August 2009 | December 2009 | |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Do you favor or oppose each of the following specific actions that can be taken with regard to Iran if they do not stop their nuclear program? (The Israel Project)
1. Prevent any company from doing business in the United States if that company provides Iran with refined petroleum.
Aug. 2009 | Oct. 2009 | |
| Support | 66% | 74% |
| Oppose | 29% | 23% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 5% | 3% |
2. Support opposition groups in Iran that are working for democracy and human rights.
Dec. 2007 | Aug. 2009 | Oct. 2009 | |
| Support | 85% | 86% | 84% |
| Oppose | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 2% | 1% | 4% |
3. Expand international economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Oct. 2009 | |
| Support | 80% |
| Oppose | 15% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 4% |
4. Targeted military strikes by the United States and its allies against Iranian nuclear facilities.
May 2006 | Sept. 2006 | Nov. 2006 | Jan. 2007 | Aug. 2009 | Oct. 2009 | Dec. 2009 | |
| Support | 28% | 40% | 34% | 43% | 58% | 48% | 51% |
| Oppose | 69% | 51% | 61% | 52% | 39% | 48% | 44% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 2% | 9% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
5. Targeted military strikes by the United States against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Dec. 2007 | March 2008 | |
| Support | 34% | 29% |
| Oppose | 63% | 66% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 3% | 5% |
Do you believe that Iran is developing nuclear weapons? (ADL)
May 2007 | October 2007 | October 2009 | |
| Yes | 82% | 71% | 83% |
| No | 11% | 15% | 7% |
Do you think that Israel should take military action to keep Iran from developing or trying to develop a nuclear weapons program? (ADL)
2005 | 2007 | 2009 | |
| Yes | 53% | 42% | 57% |
| No | 47% | 46% | 32% |
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)
2005 | 2007 | 2009 | |
| Yes | 49% | 47% | 54% |
| No | 36% | 39% | 34% |
Please rate each of the following using a one to one hundred scale, where one means you have a cold/very unfavorable feeling toward that person and one hundred means you have a warm/very favorable feeling toward that person, and fifty is neutral. (The Israel Project)
1. Iran's President Ahmadinejad
Sept. 2007 | Dec. 2007 | Aug. 2009 | Oct. 2009 | |
| Mean response | 22 | 19 | 22 | 19 |
| 51-100 | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| 1-49 | 65% | 76% | 72% | 75% |
2. Iran
May 2006 | May 2007 | Sept. 2007 | Dec. 2007 | Aug. 2009 | Oct. 2009 | |
| Mean response | 30 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 32 | 19 |
| 51-100 | 9% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 10% | 5% |
| 1-49 | 69% | 71% | 66% | 72% | 62% | 78% |
To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would you support or oppose direct diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran to try to resolve the situation? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Support | 82% | 78% | 84% | 82% |
| Oppose | 18% | 21% | 15% | 17% |
To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would you support or oppose imposing international economic sanctions against Iran? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Support | 78% | 85% | 78% | 76% |
| Oppose | 18% | 14% | 19% | 19% |
To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would you support or oppose the United States bombing Iran's nuclear development sites? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Support | 42% | 49% | 38% | 42% |
| Oppose | 54% | 49% | 57% | 54% |
To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would you support or oppose invading with U.S. forces to remove the Iranian government from power? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Support | 33% | 40% | 32% | 30% |
| Oppose | 62% | 57% | 63% | 65% |
To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would you support or oppose offering Iran financial incentives such as aid money, or more trade, if it abandons any effort to develop nuclear weapons? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Support | 30% | 28% | 38% | 25% |
| Oppose | 67% | 69% | 57% | 75% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling the situation with Iran? (Washington Post-ABC News, Oct. 19, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Approve | 52% | 18% | 71% | 51% |
| Disapprove | 39% | 69% | 22% | 41% |
Which of the following options do you think is more important for the US to pursue? (Pew, Oct. 6, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action. | 61% | 71% | 51% | 66% |
| Avoid military conflict, even if Iran may develop nuclear weapons. | 24% | 16% | 31% | 22% |
| Neither/Both/DK | 15% | 13% | 18% | 11% |
Do you approve or disapprove of direct negotiations with Iran? Would they work? (Pew, Oct. 6, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Approve | 63% | 63% | 64% | 64% |
| Disapprove | 28% | 26% | 25% | 31% |
| Don't know | 9% | 11% | 11% | 5% |
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| They will work | 22% | 11% | 34% | 19% |
| They won't work | 64% | 81% | 47% | 70% |
| Don't know | 13% | 8% | 19% | 11% |
Do you approve or disapprove of tougher economic sanctions against Iran? Would they work? (Pew, Oct. 6, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| Approve | 78% | 81% | 72% | 84% |
| Disapprove | 12% | 9% | 13% | 11% |
| Don't know | 10% | 10% | 15% | 5% |
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| They will work | 32% | 31% | 35% | 30% |
| They won't work | 56% | 57% | 52% | 60% |
| Don't know | 11% | 12% | 13% | 10% |
How much confidence do you have in President Obama to do the right thing in dealing with Iran ? (Pew, Oct. 6, 2009)
Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | |
| A great deal or fair amount | 51% | 81% | 71% | 49% |
| Not too much or none at all | 44% | 9% | 19% | 48% |
How serious a threat do you view the following: "Iran supplying a nuclear umbrella for the Middle East"? (McLaughlin & Associates, May 19, 2009)
| Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | Voted Obama '08 | |
| Serious threat | 91 | 95 | 89 | 89 | 88 |
Very serious | 69 | 77 | 64 | 65 | 59 |
| Somewhat serious | 22 | 18 | 25 | 24 | 30 |
| Not a threat | 6 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Don't know/Refused | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Will the United States be safe with a nuclear Iran? (McLaughlin & Associates, May 19, 2009)
| Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | Voted Obama '08 | |
| Yes | 16 | 9 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
| No | 71 | 81 | 64 | 64 | 62 |
| Don't know/Refused | 14 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 18 |
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 will launch a nuclear attack on the following? (McLaughlin & Associates, May 19, 2009)
| Likely/Not likely | Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | Voted Obama '08 |
| Provide nuclear weapons to terrorists to attack an American city. | 79/14 | 85/9 | 72/19 | 79/14 | 72/19 |
| Launch a nuclear missile attack on Israel. | 80/14 | 89/6 | 74/18 | 75/19 | 72/20 |
| Use the threat of nuclear attack to provide a shield for Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists to attack Israel. | 77/9 | 84/5 | 74/10 | 73/13 | 73/10 |
Given that Iran has publicly threatened to annihilate Israel, would Israel be justified in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities? (McLaughlin & Associates, May 19, 2009)
| Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | Voted Obama '08 | |
| Yes | 57 | 67 | 47 | 57 | 47 |
| No | 25 | 19 | 37 | 23 | 31 |
| Don't know/Refused | 19 | 15 | 22 | 20 | 22 |
Would approve or disapprove of which of the following? (McLaughlin & Associates, May 19, 2009)
| Approve/Disapprove | Total | Rep. | Dem. | Ind. | Voted Obama '08 |
| Blockading the import of gasoline and food to Iran to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. | 60/25 | 75/15 | 54/31 | 52/30 | 52/34 |
| Allowing and assisting Israel to attack and destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program facilities. | 59/29 | 67/23 | 47/39 | 69/21 | 44/41 |
| Using the military to attack and destroy the facilities which are necessary to produce a nuclear weapon. | 58/30 | 70/20 | 45/38 | 60/31 | 39/45 |
| The United States providing aid including military assistance to pro Democratic dissidents who want to overthrow the radical Islamic regime. | 54/29 | 58/28 | 52/26 | 50/36 | 49/33 |
Which TWO of the following would be the best approach toward Iran right now? Is it... (The Israel Project National Survey, January 10-12, 2009)
7/08 | 1/09 | |
| Increased diplomatic pressure | 43% | 47% |
| Direct negotiations with Iran | 42% | 43% |
Increased economic sanctions | 35% | 39% |
| Establish normalized relations with Iran | 25% | 24% |
| Easing economic and diplomatic sanctions | 23% | 21% |
None of the Above | 2% | 5% |
Do you favor or oppose expanding UN economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran? (The Israel Project National Survey, March 18-20, 2008)
December 2007 | March 2008 | |
| Strongly favor | 46% | 40% |
| Somewhat favor | 30% | 30% |
| Somewhat oppose | 13% | 13% |
| Strongly oppose | 8% | 12% |
| Don't know/Refused to answer | 3% | 5% |
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