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Program on International Policy Attitudes: Most Indians Believe Iran is Trying to Develop Nuclear Weapons

Posted on: Thursday, 16 February 2006, 12:00 CST

News Advisory:

Most Indians Believe Iran is Trying to Develop Nuclear Weapons

Think UN Should Try to Stop Nuclear Proliferation

Muslims and Hindus Concur

A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll in India finds that two out of three Indians believe that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, and most are concerned about this. Though India was the first new country to test a nuclear weapon since the Non- Proliferation Treaty was established in 1968, a majority of Indians believes the United Nations should try to prevent countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. The poll comes at a time when Iran's nuclear intent is a top issue in the Indian Parliament and media.

The nationwide poll of 1,452 Indians was fielded Nov. 20-30, 2005, by the Indian polling organization C-Voter (margin of error plus/-2.6 percent).

Asked, "Do you think Iran is or is not trying to develop nuclear weapons?" 64 percent said they thought Iran was doing so; 32 percent thought it was not.

A large majority (77 percent) said that if Iran were to develop nuclear weapons, they would feel some concern. Over a third (35 percent) said this would concern them "very much." Another 42 percent said they would feel a moderate level of concern.

Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), comments, "Though the Indian public supported the Indian government when it developed nuclear weapons in the 1990s, most Indians now endorse the idea that the international community should seek to prevent any further nuclear proliferation."

A clear majority of 58 percent said the United Nations should actively work to discourage countries from acquiring nuclear weapons; 38 percent said the UN should not do this. This majority view was held by clear majorities at all levels of education and income.

For media interviews, contact:

English: Steven Kull, 202-232-7500 (office), skull(At)pipa.org, 301-254-7500 (cell)

French: Clay Ramsay, 202-232-7500, pa(At)his.com

In India: Yashwant Deshmukh, Plus 9811101179, mail(At)teamcvoter.com

The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) is a joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes and the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland. WorldPublicOpinion.org presents the voice of publics around the world on international policy issues. C-Voter, the Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research, is a leading social, media, and market research organization located in New Delhi.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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