BBC Poll Offers Odd Frame to the Issue of Iran Nukes

The headline from the press release of a new BBC World Service poll reads Declining Support for Tough Measures against Iran’s Nuclear Program: Global Poll. This poll is flawed and should be interpreted with caution.

First, some background. The poll surveyed 32,000 adults in 31 countries. The poll was conducted during the three month period between October 31, 2007 and January 25, 2008, so it is not so much a snapshot in time as it is a series of snapshots in different countries at different times. A similar poll of 21,000 adults in 21 countries was conducted in 2006, which the pollsters use as the baseline for comparison. Error margins in the new poll range from +/- 2.4 to 4.4 per cent, depending on the country.

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