by Last update: 11:20 a.m. EST Dec. 12, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec 12, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ —
Nuclear as Well Non-Nuclear Countries Support Plan For Abolishing Nuclear Weapons
A WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 21 nations from around the world finds that people in every country favor an international agreement for eliminating all nuclear weapons. Respondents were asked to consider an agreement that specified “all countries with nuclear weapons would be required to eliminate them according to a timetable” while “all other countries would be required not to develop them.” Respondents were also told all countries, including their own, “would be monitored to make sure they are following the agreement.”
In 20 of the 21 nations, large majorities, ranging from 62 to 93 percent, favor such an agreement. The only exception is Pakistan, where a plurality (46%) favors the plan while 41 percent are opposed.
On average across all countries, 76 percent favor such an agreement, with 50 percent favoring it strongly. Sixteen percent are opposed, with just 7 percent opposing strongly.
In the five nations with large nuclear arsenals and advanced delivery systems, large majorities favor the plan for totally eliminating nuclear weapons according to a timeline – the United States (77%), Russia (69%), China (83%), France (86%), and Great Britain (81%).
The idea of pursuing the elimination of nuclear weapons has gained increased visibility since a bipartisan group of four former US senior officials, George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, William Perry, and Sam Nunn, published an influential article in 2007 titled “A World Free of Nuclear Weapons” endorsing the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.
“Publics around the world show a remarkably high level of consensus in favor of pursuing a step-by-step plan for reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons,” comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org.
The poll of 19,142 respondents across 21 nations was conducted between January 10 and August 29, 2008 by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative research project involving research centers from around the world and managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. Margins of error range from +/- 2 to 4 percentage points. The study included all nations with nuclear weapons (except North Korea) and the following non-nuclear nations: Argentina, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine.
For more information, visit: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/
SOURCE Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/
