Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Global Citizens Would Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

October 05, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A large majority of adults in six nations believe nuclear arms should be banned, according to a global poll by The Simons Foundation and Angus Reid Strategies. 95.4 per cent of respondents in Germany—and 94.6 per cent of respondents in Italy—support eliminating all nuclear weapons in the world through an enforceable agreement.

France is next on the list with 86.6 per cent, followed by Britain 84.5 per cent, Israel with 78 per cent, and the United States with 73.5 per cent.

Before the start of 2005, seven countries in the world—Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia and the U.S.—had acknowledged possessing nuclear arsenals. Under the "strategic ambiguity" policy, Israel has refused to publicly discuss its purported nuclear capabilities. In February 2005, the government of North Korea admitted publicly for the first time that it possesses nuclear weapons.

On Oct. 3, North Korea promised to disable its main nuclear reactor—a five-megawatt facility at Yongbyon—and fully declare its nuclear programs before the end of this year. A statement from U.S. president George W. Bush said the agreement "will help secure the future peace and prosperity" of northeast Asia.

The six-country poll assessed the views of citizens in three countries that possess nuclear weapons—Britain, France and the United States—as well as another—Israel—which has refused to openly discuss its nuclear capabilities. The views of adults in Germany and Italy—two North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members who participate in the military alliance’s nuclear sharing concept—were also included.

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Polling Data

Do you support or oppose eliminating all nuclear weapons in the world through an enforceable agreement?

 

BRI

FRA

ITA

GER

USA

ISR

Strongly support

50.2%

51.5%

83.8%

78.3%

43.8%

42.8%

Moderately support

34.3%

35.1%

10.8%

17.1%

29.7%

35.2%

Moderately oppose

7.0%

6.9%

3.0%

2.3%

9.8%

9.5%

Strongly oppose

2.3%

1.0%

1.2%

0.8%

4.9%

4.8%

Not sure

6.2%

5.5%

1.2%

1.5%

11.8%

7.7%

Source: The Simons Foundation / Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,000 adults in Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, and the United States, conducted from Jul. 26 to Aug. 8, 2007. Margin of error for each country is 3.1 per cent.

 

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