Americans Overwhelmingly See Iran as Enemy or Unfriendly; Republicans hold the most negative views of U.S.-Iranian relations.
Byline: Art Swift
Synopsis: As President Obama announces a new diplomatic initiative toward Iran, most Americans continue to consider Iran an enemy of the U.S. or unfriendly. In the past, Americans have supported direct talks with Iran.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced that he will pursue diplomatic options with Iran on its nuclear program. Despite the possibility of a thaw in relations, close to half of Americans, 45%, consider Iran an enemy and 38% "unfriendly," slightly more than thought so in 2000.
For the past several weeks, Iran has been making overtures toward the United States for a new path of diplomacy. Yet Gallup's latest polling on Iran, conducted Sept. 15-16, shows that Americans remain largely distrusting of the country.
This sentiment has been echoed in other Gallup polls for more than a generation. In a February 2012 poll, Americans named Iran as "the greatest enemy of the United States," more than said this about China or North Korea.
Americans' negative views of Iran in the Sept. 15-16 poll are also consistent with Gallup's historical favorability trends since the 1980s. In March 1989, 89% of Americans viewed Iran unfavorably, and in February 2013 that total unfavorable rating was 87%.
Although large majorities of all major U.S. partisan groups are mainly negative about Iran's relationship with the U.S., Republicans (60%) are much more likely than Democrats (37%) and independents (42%) to consider Iran an enemy, meaning Republicans may be the most alarmed by Obama's diplomatic initiative. Democrats and independents are slightly more likely than Republicans to describe Iran as "unfriendly," and are more likely to say Iran is "friendly." Still, at 13% each, relatively few in either group view Iran positively, as either friendly or an ally.
Bottom Line
Despite Americans' overwhelmingly dim view of U.S.-Iranian relations, a 2009 Gallup poll found Americans open to diplomacy with Iran. The Obama administration may be counting on a continuation of that mindset as Secretary of State John Kerry embarks on negotiations with the Iranian government. Successful negotiations may bolster positive opinions of Iran, sentiments that have been consistently low since at least a decade after the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone...
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