Half of Iranians Lack Adequate Money for Food, Shelter

According to a recent Gallup Poll of based on telephone surveys of Iranian adults during 2011 through 2012, half of respondents say there have been times in the past year when they had trouble paying for adequate shelter and food for their families. The 50% figure is the highest among 19 populations in the Middle East and North Africa region that Gallup surveyed in 2012 and 2013.

Iranian’s election of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani to the presidency has been widely interpreted as evidence of their desire for meaningful change in the country. Widespread economic hardship among the Iranian people carries mixed implications for the future of relations between Washington and Tehran under President Rouhani. Some Western leaders may take the effects of the international sanctions on the Iranian people as a sign that the sanctions are working and should be maintained. However, U.S. officials claim that the Iranian people are not the target of the sanctions. Almost half of Iranians (46%) say they hold the U.S. responsible for the international sanctions against their country, while 13% blame their own government.  What's more, Gallup finds that most Iranians (68%) still support the country's efforts to develop its nuclear capabilities. Additionally, the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reported no signs that sanctions have slowed down Iran's nuclear program.

Demographics and Leanings of Nonvoters

By choosing not to vote, nonvoters will influence the upcoming election, but with a great deal of media attention on just who is voting, Pew Research Center releases a survey describing those who choose not to come to the polls.

Back in 2008, nonvoters made up 43% of the population of those who could vote.  The current nonvoting population, which strongly favors Obama at 59%, strongly differs from the likely voting population which is split at 47% for both candidates.

Independents make up the largest proportion of nonvoters with 44%, whereas only 27% of likely voters have described themselves as independent.  More Democrats than Republicans are nonvoters, 29% and 17% respectively, while they are locked in a near tie among the likely voting population, 35% and 34% respectively.

In addition, Pew released another table describing gender, religion, and income here.  Key notes show that those with higher incomes are more likely to be voters than nonvoters, that men are more likely than women to be considered as nonvoters, younger voters are more likely nonvoters, and that the category of nonvoters is more likely to be Hispanic.

For Pollsters, Finding Respondents Gets Harder Every Year

Pew Research Center reports that societal and technological changes have made it increasingly difficult to contact and persuade respondents for the purpose of surveys.  For a typical telephone survey, the contact rate (percent of households in which an adult was reached) was 90% in 1997, but today, it is just 62%.  The cooperation rate (percent of households contacted that yielded an interview) was 43% in 1997 but is only 14% in 2012.  Despite the declining rates, Pew maintains that polls continue to supply precise data.

Majority of Muslims in Middle East Hold Unfavorable View of al Qaeda

On April 30^th, the Pew Research Center reported on Muslim support throughout the Middle East for al Qaeda.  Overwhelmingly, Muslims are unsupportive of al Qaeda.  The survey covered the nations of Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Lebanon; within these countries, 71%, 77%, 55%, 73%, and 98% hold unfavorable views towards al Qaeda, respectively.  The survey also investigated the trends in confidence for Osama bin Laden.  From 2003 to 2011, Muslim support of Osama bin Laden in every single nation surveyed dropped; however, from 2010 to 2011, only one nation – Jordan – saw Muslims’ confidence of bin Laden fall (one percentage point change).