Survey Results: Over the past 36 years, what has been the Islamic Republic’s biggest triumph?

Every year, on April 1, Iran holds the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In answer to this recent event, IranWire asked its Persian-language audience, “What do you think has been the Islamic Republic’s biggest achievement since its foundation 36 years ago?”

The Islamic Republic was established after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Since then, discussions over whether the revolution was a good thing and what its achievements have been are on going. Taking part in the debate are a combination of foreign observers and human rights groups that oppose the Islamic Republic, as well as Iranian political and theological leaders who consistently point out the successes of the revolution as justification that it was a good thing for the country.

The survey gave respondents the chance to answer one of four things. Firstly, that the Islamic Revolution’s biggest triumph was the “revival of Islamic values, as well as independence and economic development,” secondly that the only thing the revolution achieved was the “destruction of Iran in every way possible, establishing a dictatorial and corrupt regime in the process;” thirdly of securing Iranian “independence, but at the cost of democracy, one of the main pillars of the revolution, instead setting up an autocratic regime.” And, lastly, voters could select “none of the above.”

An overwhelming majority – 83 percent – voted that the Islamic Revolution had destroyed Iran in every way imaginable and established a dictatorial and corrupt regime. Although this figure is not necessarily representative of Iranians at large, it demonstrates the extent of antipathy felt by Persian-language readers towards the Iranian regime.

The remaining 17 percent of votes were divided among the other three answers. The response “independence, but at the cost of democracy, one of the main pillars of the revolution, instead setting up an autocratic regime” received nearly ten percent of votes. This suggests that a tenth of readers feel Iran has become more independent from the influence of other countries, particularly the US and Britain, since 1979 but had to forego democracy in the process. In recent years, a number of reformists defending the revolution have made this argument.

The issue of having more independence from other powers, especially Western ones, also appears in the first response - that the revolution was a good thing because it permitted the “revival of Islamic values, as well as independence and economic development.” Of the four answers, this is the only one that suggests that the establishment of an Islamic Republic in Iran was a good thing. This received less than two percent of votes, indicating that nearly all of IranWire readers do not think the Islamic revolution was a good thing.

If the poll is an accurate sample of the Iranian people, it is crucial in showing the extent that the Iranian people do not support the Iranian regime or the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and how they would prefer to be a more open and democratic nation.