Polls: Americans View Iran As A Serious Threat

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Miami Herald
October 7, 2009
While a majority of American adults said Iran is a serious threat, the public is somewhat divided on how the U.S. should deal with the issue.
By Margaret Talev, McClatchy News Service
WASHINGTON -- When it comes to dealing with Iran as a nuclear threat, two new polls find that Americans largely agree with President Barack Obama's approach of combining diplomacy and the threat of sanctions.
Fifty-six percent of American adults said the United States should take economic or diplomatic action toward Iran, while 31 percent said it shouldn't, according to a McClatchy-Ipsos poll. And 66 percent said that Iran is a serious threat to the United States, while 30 percent said it's not.
A separate Pew Research Center survey found that 63 percent of Americans favor direct negotiations with Iran on nuclear issues, and 78 percent back tougher sanctions. However, 64 percent said they don't think negotiations will persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program.
The polls differ in emphasis on whether the United States should take military action against Iran. Asked flatly if the United States should do so, 61 percent told the McClatchy-Ipsos poll that the United States should not take such action, while 29 percent said it should.
But when Pew asked a more nuanced question -- if it's more important to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if that requires military action -- a strong 61 percent majority agreed, and only 24 percent said it's more important to avoid military conflict with Iran even if that allows it to develop nuclear weapons.
``It's definitely a question-wording issue,'' said Michael Gross, vice president of Ipsos Public Affairs, which performed the survey for McClatchy Newspapers. ``Any time you say nuclear weapon, people get antsy and they take that as a perceived threat.''
The McClatchy-Ipsos poll of 1,296 adults was taken Oct. 1-5 and has an error margin of plus or minus 2.72 percentage points.
The Pew poll of 1,500 adults was taken Sept. 30-Oct. 4 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
 
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