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Released: December 22, 2008

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ZOGBY POLL SHOWS AMERICANS HAVE FAVORABLE PERCEPTIONS OF IRANIAN PEOPLE & IRANIAN AMERICANS

50% of Americans View Iran as a Threat but Majority Oppose Military Action and Believe Negotiations Can Dissuade Iran from Developing Nuclear Weapons

Contact:
Ms. Rudi Bakhtiar
Director of Public Relations, PAAIA
survey@paaia.org
202.828.8370

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 22, 2008) - A Zogby International poll released today shows a significant disparity in how the American public perceive the Iranian government and the Iranian people.  While 68% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the Iranian government, 51% hold a favorable view of the Iranian people.

The poll, which was commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), found similar patterns in how the American public views Iranian Americans. Almost two-thirds of Americans believe Iranian Americans share the same values as most Americans.  Of those Americans who have had a business, professional, or social relationship with an Iranian American, 90% came away with a generally favorable impression of the experience.

"We commissioned Zogby International to conduct this survey to facilitate greater understanding of the Iranian American community's standing in American society," said Rudi Bakhtiar, former CNN anchor and current PAAIA official.  "To do so, and given the acrimonious state of relations between the two countries over the past three decades, it is necessary to also learn about the attitudes of the American public towards Iran."

According to the Zogby data, while 50% of Americans surveyed view Iran as a threat to America, more than 60% oppose military action in dealing with that threat.  Moreover, despite the negative attitude toward the Iranian government, 56% of Americans believe Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear technology and a significant majority (64%) believe diplomacy can dissuade Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

Zogby International was commissioned by PAAIA to conduct this telephone survey of U.S. adults.  The sample is 1003 successful interviews with approximately 59 questions asked. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.  The survey was conducted between August 4^th and 12^th, 2008.

Zogby International and PAAIA also released a national survey of Iranian Americans last week, showing among other things that a large majority of Iranian Americans support the establishment of a U.S. interest section in Iran to provide consular services for Americans traveling there and to facilitate issuance of visas for Iranians wishing to visit the United States.

Publicly launched in 2008, PAAIA is a national grassroots organization that profiles the achievements of Iranian Americans; provides a powerful public and political voice for Iranian Americans; and aspires to imbue future generations of Iranian Americans with a permanent sense of their heritage and identity. 

Please visit PAAIA's website at http://paaia.org for a copy of the full report on the survey, as well as the full report on the Survey of Iranian Americans, to learn more about PAAIA, and to meet Iranian Americans from all walks of life who have played a major role in building America and keeping it strong.