September 25, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A large majority of adults in six nations are worried about the possibility of nuclear arms being acquired by terrorists, according to a global poll by The Simons Foundation and Angus Reid Strategies. 82.9 per cent of respondents in Italy—and 71.2 per cent of respondents in Germany—are very concerned over the possibility of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of non-state entities, such as militant groups.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A large majority of adults in six nations are worried about the possibility of nuclear arms being acquired by terrorists, according to a global poll by The Simons Foundation and Angus Reid Strategies. 82.9 per cent of respondents in Italy—and 71.2 per cent of respondents in Germany—are very concerned over the possibility of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of non-state entities, such as militant groups.

Israel is next on the list with 65 per cent, followed by Britain with 64.4 per cent, the United States with 61 per cent, and France with 55.4 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.

Earlier this month, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Mohammed El-Baradei called on all nations to ratify the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material—an international agreement that seeks to strengthen the protection of nuclear materials—declaring, "Out of 128 states parties, only 11 so far have accepted the amendment. (...) With the renewed interest in nuclear power generation, comparable attention and commitment must be given to ensuring the nuclear safety and security infrastructure that must go with it."

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

How concerned are you over the possibility of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of non-state entities, such as militant groups?

	BRI	FRA	ITA	GER	USA	ISR
Very concerned	64.4%	55.4%	82.9%	71.2%	61.0%	65.0%
Moderately concerned	28.6%	35.9%	13.9%	21.5%	29.3%	25.7%
Not too concerned	4.3%	5.6%	2.0%	4.9%	5.4%	6.2%
Not concerned at all	0.9%	1.1%	0.2%	0.6%	0.9%	0.9%
Not sure	1.8%	2.0%	1.0%	1.8%	3.4%	2.2%

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.