WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) today released the findings of a national public opinion survey of the Iranian American community. The results show strong support for the establishment of a U.S. interests section in Iran and for facilitating greater understanding between the peoples of Iran and the United States.
According to the survey, 83% of Iranian Americans favor the establishment of a U.S. interests section in Iran, which would provide consular services for Americans traveling to Iran and facilitate issuance of visas for Iranians wishing to visit the United States, but would not constitute the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. An interests section would greatly enhance American Citizen Services (ACS) for Americans traveling to Iran and could simplify the visa process for Iranians who currently must travel to third countries to apply for U.S. visas.
This result, together with the finding that 78% of Iranian Americans believe it is important to facilitate greater understanding between Americans and Iranians, suggests that a broad mandate exists in the Iranian American community for increased contact and understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
Iranian Americans want to see change in Iran. 67% cite the promotion of human rights and democracy as the most important issue in U.S.-Iran relations. A two-thirds majority wants Iran to be a secular democracy.
On matters related to Iran’s nuclear program, a majority of Iranian Americans – 52% – stated they approved of President Obama’s handling of the issue. 46% oppose the passage of additional sanctions while negotiations continue with Iran over its nuclear program, while 24% would support it.
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed – 62% – would support the removal of sanctions on Iran if the Iranian regime reached a permanent agreement with the U.S. and the international community concerning its nuclear program.
In the event nuclear negotiations fail, 66% of Iranian Americans support continued diplomatic overtures, while only 13% support military strikes. 51% prefer that the U.S. pursue a policy of containment against Iran. Nearly one-half (49%) oppose the passage of new sanctions if the negotiations fail, while 34% would support such measures.
PAAIA commissioned George Mason University to conduct a telephone survey of Iranian American adults. The survey was conducted in April of 2014 and is based on successful interviews in English with a representative sample of 400 Iranian American respondents. The margin of error is +/- 5.0 percentage points.
For the complete report, please visit PAAIA’s website at www.paaia.org.
ABOUT PAAIA
The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, independent organization that represents the interests of the Iranian American community before U.S. policymakers, opinion-makers, and the American public at large.
