Iranians' Attitudes Toward Political System 2022

Raw Sample Count: 16850

Effective Sample Count: 1498

1. Having a democratic political system

What do you think about having a democratic political system as a way of governing our country (Iran)?

  • 1. Very good 68.1%
  • 2. Fairly good 20.2%
  • 3. Fairly bad 3.3%
  • 4. Very bad 2.4%
  • 5. No opinion 6%
2. Strong leader without parliament or elections

What do you think about having a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament and elections as a way of governing our country?

  • 1. Very good 20.4%
  • 2. Fairly good 16.3%
  • 3. Fairly bad 9%
  • 4. Very bad 43.7%
  • 5. No opinion 10.6%
3. Religious political system

What do you think about having a system governed by religious law as a way of governing our country?

  • 1. Very good 19.2%
  • 2. Fairly good 9%
  • 3. Fairly bad 6.5%
  • 4. Very bad 60.9%
  • 5. No opinion 4.4%
4. Military rule

What do you think about having the army rule as a way of governing our country?

  • 1. Very good 6%
  • 2. Fairly good 10.1%
  • 3. Fairly bad 11.9%
  • 4. Very bad 64.1%
  • 5. No opinion 7.9%
5. Preferred regime type for Iran

Which of these regime types do you find the most suitable for Iran?

  • 1. Secular republic 33.6%
  • 2. Islamic republic 22.4%
  • 3. Constitutional monarchy 19.1%
  • 4. Absolute monarchy 3.4%
  • 5. Not sufficiently informed to answer 21.5%
6. Hereditary head of state

In your preferred political system, which of the following would you agree with for the function of head of state: being hereditary?

  • 1. I agree 8.2%
  • 2. I disagree 78.5%
  • 3. No opinion 13.2%
7. Unitary and centralized structure

Which of these political structures do you find the most suitable for Iran?

  • 1. Unitary and centralized state 36.8%
  • 2. Unitary and decentralized state 15.3%
  • 3. Federal state 11.7%
  • 4. I support secession 6.4%
  • 5. Not sufficiently informed to answer 29.8%
8. Religious authority as head of state

In your preferred political system, which of the following would you agree with for the function of head of state: being a (Shia) religious authority?

  • 1. I agree 19.9%
  • 2. I disagree 71.6%
  • 3. No opinion 8.5%
9. Atheist head of state

In your preferred political system, which of the following would you agree with for the function of head of state: being an atheist?

  • 1. I agree 16.6%
  • 2. I disagree 56.4%
  • 3. No opinion 27%
10. Lifetime head of state

In your preferred political system, which of the following would you agree with for the function of head of state: being appointed/elected for life?

  • 1. I agree 20.5%
  • 2. I disagree 66%
  • 3. No opinion 13.5%
11. A head of state for life

Do you agree with having an "appointed/elected for life" head of state in your preferred political system?

  • Supporters of the Islamic Republic
    • 1. Agree 46.9%
    • 2. Disagree 27%
    • 3. No opinion 26%
  • Supporters of absolute monarchy
    • 1. Agree 46.6%
    • 2. Disagree 44.1%
    • 3. No opinion 9.3%
  • Supporters of constitutional monarchy
    • 1. Agree 26.8%
    • 2. Disagree 61.2%
    • 3. No opinion 12%
  • Supporters of secular republic
    • 1. Agree 3.2%
    • 2. Disagree 95.4%
    • 3. No opinion 1.4%
  • Total sample
    • 1. Agree 20.5%
    • 2. Disagree 66%
    • 3. No opinion 13.5%
12. Support for various political parties as a way of governing the country

If political parties of the following diverse orientations could compete in free elections, which would represent your views best and would you vote for?

  • 1. Constitutionalists (pro-monarchists) 24.2%
  • 2. Social democrats 20.2%
  • 3. Religious nationalists 16%
  • 4. Greens (environmentalists) 14.8%
  • 5. The National Front of Iran 10.8%
  • 6. Principlists 9.7%
  • 7. Reformists 7.6%
  • 8. Social liberals 7.1%
  • 9. Right liberals 5.5%
  • 10. Parties advocating on behalf of ethnic groups 3.3%
  • 11. People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) 0.6%
  • 12. Marxists 0.6%
  • 13. Other 5.3%
  • 14. None 17.3%
13. Preferred candidates in a free election

If there were free elections in Iran in which nominees of diverse political orientations could participate, which of the following persons would you vote for?

  • 1. Reza Pahlavi 39.5%
  • 2. Ebrahim Raisi 17.4%
  • 3. Narges Mohammadi 15.2%
  • 4. Nasrin Sotoudeh 14.6%
  • 5. Masih Alinejad 13.4%
  • 6. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 12.2%
  • 7. Mohammad Nourizad 12.1%
  • 8. Kaveh Madani 11.7%
  • 9. Mir-Hossein Mousavi 5.6%
  • 10. Mohammad Khatami 5.4%
  • 11. Mohammad Javad Zarif 5%
  • 12. Esmail Bakhshi 4.7%
  • 13. Majid Tavakoli 4.4%
  • 14. Faraj Sarkouhi 4.3%
  • 15. Hassan Shariatmadari 2.9%
  • 16. Mostafa Tajzadeh 2.7%
  • 17. Saeed Ghasseminejad 2.7%
  • 18. Ahmad Zeidabadi 1.8%
  • 19. Molavi Abdul Hamid 1.5%
  • 20. Abbas Lesani 1.4%
  • 21. Ali Afshari 1.4%
  • 22. Khaled Azizi 1%
  • 23. Mahmoud Beheshti 0.9%
  • 24. Maryam Rajavi 0.8%
  • 25. Someone else 5%
  • 26. None of the above 16.2%
14. Opinion on Reza Shah Pahlavi

What do you think of Reza Shah Pahlavi as one of Iran’s modern political leaders?

  • 1. Very favorable 41.4%
  • 2. Somewhat favorable 24.4%
  • 3. Somewhat unfavorable 5.5%
  • 4. Very unfavorable 17.7%
  • 5. No opinion 11.1%
15. Opinion on Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

What do you think of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as one of Iran’s modern political leaders?

  • 1. Very favorable 32.8%
  • 2. Somewhat favorable 30.8%
  • 3. Somewhat unfavorable 9.1%
  • 4. Very unfavorable 18.4%
  • 5. No opinion 8.9%
16. Opinion on Mohammad Mosaddegh

What do you think of Mohammad Mosaddegh as one of Iran’s modern political leaders?

  • 1. Very favorable 16.4%
  • 2. Somewhat favorable 35.2%
  • 3. Somewhat unfavorable 14.3%
  • 4. Very unfavorable 12.7%
  • 5. No opinion 21.3%
17. Opinion on Ruhollah Khomeini

What do you think of Ruhollah Khomeini as one of Iran’s modern political leaders?

  • 1. Very favorable 20.4%
  • 2. Somewhat favorable 7.3%
  • 3. Somewhat unfavorable 5.4%
  • 4. Very unfavorable 58.6%
  • 5. No opinion 8.2%
18. Opinion on Ali Khamenei

What do you think of Ali Khamenei as one of Iran’s modern political leaders?

  • 1. Very favorable 20.4%
  • 2. Somewhat favorable 5.2%
  • 3. Somewhat unfavorable 4%
  • 4. Very unfavorable 62.1%
  • 5. No opinion 8.3%
19. Preference for Iran’s national flag design

Which design for Iran’s national flag do you prefer?

  • 1. The three-colored flag with the lion and sun symbol 46.2%
  • 2. The three-colored flag with the emblem of Allah (the current official flag) 30.2%
  • 3. The three-colored flag without any symbols 18.7%
  • 4. None / Something else 5%
20. Nationwide strikes for political change in the country

What do you think of using nationwide strikes as a means of bringing about political change in the current milieu of Iran?

  • 1. I agree 65.4%
  • 2. I disagree 25.5%
  • 3. No opinion 9.1%
21. Protest campaigns in social media for political change in the country

What do you think of using protest campaigns in social media as a means of bringing about political change in the current milieu of Iran?

  • 1. I agree 64.6%
  • 2. I disagree 21.7%
  • 3. No opinion 13.7%
22. Civil disobedience for political change in the country

What do you think of using civil disobedience as a means of bringing about political change in the current milieu of Iran?

  • 1. I agree 52.4%
  • 2. I disagree 29.6%
  • 3. No opinion 18%
23. Street demonstrations and protests for political change in the country

What do you think of using street demonstrations and protests as a means of bringing about political change in the current milieu of Iran?

  • 1. I agree 49.9%
  • 2. I disagree 34.3%
  • 3. No opinion 15.8%
24. Armed uprising for political change in the country

What do you think of using an armed uprising as a means of bringing about political change in the current milieu of Iran?

  • 1. I agree 18.7%
  • 2. I disagree 68.5%
  • 3. No opinion 12.8%
25. Slogan: "Reformists, Principlists, the game is over!"

What do you think of the slogan: "Reformists, Principlists, the game is over!"?

  • 1. I agree 64.9%
  • 2. I disagree 15.5%
  • 3. No opinion 19.6%
26. Slogan: "What a huge mistake, our revolution was!"

What do you think of the slogan: "What a huge mistake, our revolution was!"?

  • 1. I agree 57.8%
  • 2. I disagree 26.8%
  • 3. No opinion 15.4%
27. Slogan: "Reza Shah, may you rest in peace!"

What do you think of the slogan: "Reza Shah, may you rest in peace!"?

  • 1. I agree 52.8%
  • 2. I disagree 28.9%
  • 3. No opinion 18.3%
28. Slogan: "Ya Hussain, Mir-Hossein"

What do you think of the slogan: "Ya Hussain, Mir-Hossein"?

  • 1. I agree 5.2%
  • 2. I disagree 76.4%
  • 3. No opinion 18.4%
29. Slogan: "Khamenei, we are all your soldiers; we’re ready to take action under your command!"

What do you think of the slogan: "Khamenei, we are all your soldiers; we’re ready to take action under your command!"?

  • 1. I agree 20.8%
  • 2. I disagree 66.7%
  • 3. No opinion 12.5%
30. Necessity of an official language and Farsi as the best option

An official or a common language is necessary for Iran and Farsi serves this purpose best

  • 1. I agree 84.4%
  • 2. I disagree 6.3%
  • 3. No opinion 9.3%
31. Official and native languages

Do you think schools in Iran should teach native languages in addition to Farsi?

  • 1. I agree 65.3%
  • 2. I disagree 19.3%
  • 3. No opinion 15.4%
32. Official and native languages

Do you prefer your child to receive higher education in their native language rather than in Farsi?

  • 1. I agree 18.2%
  • 2. I disagree 60.8%
  • 3. No opinion 21%
33. Ebrahim Raisi’s approval

Do you approve the way Ebrahim Raisi is handling his job as president?

  • 50-year-old +
    • 1. Approve 18.4%
    • 2. Disapprove 74.5%
    • 3. No opinion 7.1%
  • 30- to 49-year-old
    • 1. Approve 22.5%
    • 2. Disapprove 64.9%
    • 3. No opinion 12.6%
  • 20- to 29-year-old
    • 1. Approve 17.1%
    • 2. Disapprove 72.4%
    • 3. No opinion 10.6%
  • Urban
    • 1. Approve 17.7%
    • 2. Disapprove 71.3%
    • 3. No opinion 10.9%
  • Rural
    • 1. Approve 29.4%
    • 2. Disapprove 59.5%
    • 3. No opinion 11.1%
  • University educated
    • 1. Approve 17.3%
    • 2. Disapprove 74.5%
    • 3. No opinion 8.2%
  • Non-university educated
    • 1. Approve 21.2%
    • 2. Disapprove 66.7%
    • 3. No opinion 12.0%
  • Male
    • 1. Approve 23.6%
    • 2. Disapprove 66.0%
    • 3. No opinion 10.4%
  • Female
    • 1. Approve 16.3%
    • 2. Disapprove 72.2%
    • 3. No opinion 11.6%
  • Only Principlists and Reformists
    • 1. Approve 67.4%
    • 2. Disapprove 15.4%
    • 3. No opinion 17.1%
  • Total
    • 1. Approve 20.1%
    • 2. Disapprove 68.9%
    • 3. No opinion 11.0%
34. Important aspects in life

For each of the following aspects, indicate how important it is in your life.

  • Family
    • 1. Very important 89.5%
    • 2. Rather important 8.8%
    • 3. Not very important 1.0%
    • 4. Not at all important 0.3%
    • 5. Do not know 0.5%
  • Friends
    • 1. Very important 28.7%
    • 2. Rather important 54.3%
    • 3. Not very important 13.6%
    • 4. Not at all important 2.5%
    • 5. Do not know 0.8%
  • Work
    • 1. Very important 81.7%
    • 2. Rather important 15.0%
    • 3. Not very important 2.2%
    • 4. Not at all important 0.4%
    • 5. Do not know 0.8%
  • Religion
    • 1. Very important 30.8%
    • 2. Rather important 13.9%
    • 3. Not very important 14.1%
    • 4. Not at all important 39.3%
    • 5. Do not know 1.9%
35. Political orientations of respondents

Which option comes closest to your political orientation?

  • 1. Proponent of regime change as a precondition for change 41.5%
  • 2. Proponent of structural transformation and transition from the IR 21.2%
  • 3. Proponent of gradual reform within the framework of the IR 8.3%
  • 4. Proponent of the Islamic Revolution's principles and the Supreme Leader 18.3%
  • 5. None of them 10.6%
36. Access to survey

On which platform did you encounter this survey?

  • 1. Psiphon 33.8%
  • 2. Telegram 17.9%
  • 3. WhatsApp 16.9%
  • 4. Instagram 15.7%
  • 5. Other 9%
  • 6. Twitter/X 6.7%
37. Gender

What is your gender?

  • 1. Female 47%
  • 2. Male 53%
38. Geographical distribution of respondents

Do you live in an urban or rural area?

  • 1. Rural 20.4%
  • 2. Urban 79.6%
39. Province of residence of respondents

In what province do you live?

  • 1. East Azerbaijan 4.8%
  • 2. West Azerbaijan 3.6%
  • 3. Ardabil 1.5%
  • 4. Isfahan 6.9%
  • 5. Alborz 3.8%
  • 6. Ilam 0.7%
  • 7. Bushehr 1.5%
  • 8. Tehran 19.1%
  • 9. Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari 1.1%
  • 10. South Khorasan 0.9%
  • 11. Razavi Khorasan 7.8%
  • 12. North Khorasan 0.9%
  • 13. Khuzestan 5.4%
  • 14. Zanjan 1.3%
  • 15. Semnan 1%
  • 16. Sistan and Baluchistan 2.1%
  • 17. Fars 6.3%
  • 18. Ghazvin 1.6%
  • 19. Qom 1.6%
  • 20. Kurdistan 1.8%
  • 21. Kerman 3.6%
  • 22. Kermanshah 2.4%
  • 23. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 0.8%
  • 24. Golestan 2.2%
  • 25. Gilan 3.5%
  • 26. Lorestan 2%
  • 27. Mazandaran 4.5%
  • 28. Markazi 1.8%
  • 29. Hormozgan 2%
  • 30. Hamadan 2.1%
  • 31. Yazd 1.4%
40. Age groups of respondents

What is your age catagory?

  • 1. Between 20 and 29 years old 30.4%
  • 2. Between 30 and 49 years old 51.6%
  • 3. At least 50 years old 18%
41. Education level

What is your highest level of education?

  • 1. Non-university educated 72%
  • 2. University educated 28%
42. Vote in the 2017 presidential election

Voted for candidate in the 2017 presidential election

  • 1. Hassan Rouhani (+ Hashemitaba) 44.5%
  • 2. Ebrahim Raisi (+ Mir-Salim) 26.2%
  • 3. I did not vote (+ blank vote) 29.3%
43. Distribution of household income levels among respondents

What is your household’s total monthly income range?

  • 1. First three lower deciles 46.7%
  • 2. Middle three deciles 22.9%
  • 3. Upper four deciles 30.4%
44. Language spoken at home

What language do you normally speak at home?

  • 1. Persian 63.2%
  • 2. Azerbaijani/Turkic 12.8%
  • 3. Kurdish 5.6%
  • 4. Luri/Bakhtiari 6.5%
  • 5. Arabic 1.6%
  • 6. Gilaki 1.4%
  • 7. Mazandarani 2.1%
  • 8. Baluchi 1.4%
  • 9. Laki 0.9%
  • 10. Turkmeni 0.3%
  • 11. Armeni 0.1%
  • 12. Tati 0.6%
  • 13. Other 3.6%
45. Employment status

Are you currently employed or unemployed?

  • Total population
    • 1. Employed 40.7%
    • 2. Unemployed 59.3%
  • Population in urban areas
    • 1. Employed 40.2%
    • 2. Unemployed 59.8%
  • Population in rural areas
    • 1. Employed 42.5%
    • 2. Unemployed 57.5%
46. Importance of family

How important is family in your life?

  • 1. Very important 89.5%
  • 2. Rather important 8.8%
  • 3. Not very important 1%
  • 4. Not at all important 0.3%
  • 5. Do not know 0.5%
47. Importance of friends

How important are friends in your life?

  • 1. Very important 28.7%
  • 2. Rather important 54.3%
  • 3. Not very important 13.6%
  • 4. Not at all important 2.5%
  • 5. Do not know 0.8%
48. Importance of work

How important is work in your life?

  • 1. Very important 81.7%
  • 2. Rather important 15%
  • 3. Not very important 2.2%
  • 4. Not at all important 0.4%
  • 5. Do not know 0.8%
49. Importance of religion

How important is religion in your life?

  • 1. Very important 30.8%
  • 2. Rather important 13.9%
  • 3. Not very important 14.1%
  • 4. Not at all important 39.3%
  • 5. Do not know 1.9%