| Iran's nuclear development program has been a source of inter-governmental tensions. While there is much political debate on whether this program poses an international security threat, academic research about public perceptions and attitudes toward the program is lacking. This research attempted to fill the existing knowledge gap through a survey that probed the key question, whether and to what extent public perceptions and attitudes (the dependent variables) varied according to the respondents' cultural and demographic background (the independent variables). Perceptions were measured according to the theoretical categories of realism, liberalism, and idealism identified in literature as possible motivations/reasons for a nation to develop its military and/or civilian power, in this case, its nuclear potential. Attitudes towards the program were measured simply as positive or negative through a number of survey items. Using a mixed-model approach, a quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 364 respondents from 4 cultural groups: Canadians, Americans, and Iranians in Iran and North America. Interviews with four knowledgeable people from each subsample further reflected upon Iran's nuclear intentions. MANOVA and Chi-square analysis of quantitative data, followed by thematic categorization of the interviews confirmed that the attributed motives to Iran's nuclear intentions, and attitudes towards it did indeed vary by respondents' cultural and demographic background. Dissemination of these findings in public and political circles should create a more realistic approach to managing the spread of nuclear technology and ease international tensions emanating from this issue. |
