Busting Out: Iranian Public Opinion toward the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

25 Pages Posted: 26 Dec 2011 Last revised: 24 Dec 2012

See all articles by C. Christine Fair

C. Christine Fair

Georgetown University

Karl Kaltenthaler

University of Akron

William Miller

Southeast Missouri State University

Date Written: December 26, 2011

Abstract

This article seeks to explore Iranian popular opinion on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the determinants of Iranian attitudes. Using data from a 2008 survey of 710 Iranians administered by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), we find that that an important minority of Iranians (10 percent in 2006 and 14 percent in 2008) would prefer Iran withdraw from the NPT. Our statistical analysis shows that Iranians who fear a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and distrust the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are more likely to want to quit the NPT. Thus we argue that those who do not trust other nations are most likely to oppose the NPT.

Keywords: Iran, nuclear proliferation, NPT, public opinion

Suggested Citation

Fair, C. Christine and Kaltenthaler, Karl and Miller, William, Busting Out: Iranian Public Opinion toward the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (December 26, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1976974 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1976974

C. Christine Fair (Contact Author)

Georgetown University ( email )

Washington, DC 20057
United States

Karl Kaltenthaler

University of Akron ( email )

259 S. Broadway
Akron, OH 44325
United States

William Miller

Southeast Missouri State University ( email )

1 University Plaza
Cape Girardeau, MO MO 63701
United States

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