Both religious rule and military government faced decisive rejection, with two-thirds opposing clerical control and more than 70% rejecting military leadership.
It’s been nearly half a centuru since the revolution that turned Iran into an Islamic theocracy, and new polling shows Iranians have had enough.
A comprehensive survey conducted by the Netherlands-based Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) found only 20% of those surveyed want the Islamic Republic to remain in power.
Even more telling, support for both the principles of the 1979 revolution and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has plummeted to just 11%, down from 18% in 2022.
Breaking down the opposition by demographics reveals predictable patterns. Opposition runs strongest among young, educated, and urban populations.
More than 74% of university graduates rejected the Islamic Republic, compared to 66% among those without higher education.
Rural areas showed notably higher support for the current system at 28%—nearly double what pollsters found in cities.
When asked about preferred forms of governance, 89% of Iranians expressed support for democracy. However, 43% also said they’d be open to rule under a strong leader, a sentiment more common among rural and less-educated citizens.
Both religious rule and military government faced decisive rejection, with two-thirds opposing clerical control and more than 70% rejecting military leadership.
“The demand for a democratic government is widespread among Iranians, though at the same time, a notable portion of society shows an inclination toward individual authoritarianism,” GAMAAN notes.
“No political or civil figure currently enjoys majority support in society. Each political cluster represents only a portion (between 5% to 35%) of the population, and no single opposition force is capable of representing the full diversity present within the country.”
A secular republic attracted 26% support, while 21% backed restoring the monarchy. Another 22% said they lacked enough information to decide, and 11% indicated the specific form of replacement government didn’t matter as long as change occurred.
As for who should lead a new government, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi led with 31%, followed by former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at 9% and jailed Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi at 5%.
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