Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Americans Ponder Threat, UN Action on Iran
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe Iran represents a danger to their country, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 57 per cent of respondents consider Iran a clear and present danger or a threat in the near future, while 40 per cent call it a danger down the road or no threat at all.
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons.
In November 2004, the Iranian government announced a voluntary suspension of its uranium enrichment program following international pressure. In August 2005, Iran resumed uranium conversion activities at the Isfahan facility. On Apr. 12, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared, "I officially announce that Iran has joined the club of nations that own nuclear technology."
On May 12, United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan discussed the current situation, saying, "I have asked all sides to lower their rhetoric and intensify diplomatic efforts to find a solution. I have also stated very clearly both in private and in my contacts with the American administration and publicly that I think it is important that the United States come to the table and that they should join all the European countries and Iran to find a solution." 74 per cent of respondents think the UN cannot stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.
Polling Data
Which one of the following best describes your view of the danger Iran poses to the United States today?
A clear and present danger | 24% |
A threat in the near future | 33% |
A threat further down the road | 30% |
Not a threat at all | 10% |
Don't know | 2% |
Do you think the United Nations (UN) can stop Iran from building nuclear weapons?
Yes | 22% |
No | 74% |
Don't know | 5% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on May 2 and May 3, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.