June 18, 2015 – Iran is unpopular across the globe. An enormous poll done by Pew Research has canvassed the opinions of more than 45,000 people in 40 different countries to gauge public opinion of the Middle Eastern nation. Of the 40 countries polled only one, Pakistan, had a majority favourable view of Iran. Over half (57%) of Pakistani’s hold this opinion, while no other country broke 44 percent in this regard. Public opinion on aggregate was 58 per cent unfavourable.
In Canada, two-thirds (66%) hold an unfavourable view. This is roughly in line with the 72 per cent of respondents who supported the Canadian government’s decision to cut ties with Iran. The US, who has led efforts to sign a historic nuclear agreement in recent months, holds an unfavourable view among three-quarters (76%) of the population. Four other Western nations have opinions at least as low as this.
Survey Data:
Is your view of Iran generally favourable or unfavourable? Summary of unfavourable:
Spain: 87 per cent
Italy: 87 per cent
France: 81 per cent
Germany: 78 per cent
USA: 76 per cent
Canada: 66 per cent unfavourable
Across the Muslim world, opinions have been trending downward for a decade. In Muslim-majority countries, favourability generally hovers around one-third. Pakistan, as referenced earlier, has a majority positive opinion, but Indonesia is second at only 36 per cent.
Survey Data:
Summary of favourable view in Muslim-majority countries:
Pakistan: 57 per cent
Indonesia: 36 per cent
Malaysia: 34 per cent
Palestine: 34 per cent
Turkey: 17 per cent
Jordan: 8 per cent
Source: Pew Research
Methodology: Telephone and face-to-face interviews with 45,435 people across 40 countries.