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فارسی | GAMAAN | The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in IRAN

Report

Iranians’ Attitudes Toward Media: A ۲۰۲۱ Survey Report

April 5, 2021

Which television programs are popular in Iran? Which media do they use as news sources? Find here the full English report and methodology of GAMAAN’s survey on Iranians’ Attitudes Toward Media – 2021. Read the full English report here.

Survey summary

  • The survey titled “Iranians’ attitudes toward media” was conducted from February 17 to 26, 2021. Over 27 thousand respondents were surveyed, around 90% of whom lived in Iran.
  • This study’s findings reflect the views of literate Iranian residents aged above 19, who comprise 85% of Iran’s adult population. The results can be generalized to the target population with a 95% credibility level and credibility intervals of 5%. The survey aimed to measure and document the attitudes of Iranians toward media (risānah’hā), including their political orientations and electoral behavior, none of which can be openly discussed in Iran due to the current restrictions.
  • The results show that 92% of the population use social media to access news and information about Iran and the world; 41% watch satellite television channels, 32% visit Internet websites, and 14% watch the news programs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on a daily basis. On the other hand, 60% reported never watching the IRIB’s news broadcasting.
  • Iran International and Manoto are the most popular television channels among Iranians with 33% and 30% daily viewership, respectively. They are followed by BBC Persian (17%), GEM TV (16.5%), the IRIB (16%), and Voice of America Persian (VOA) with 11% daily viewers.
  • More than half of the population reported to trust the Iran International and Manoto television channels “a lot” and “to some extent”. Also, about 40% deem VOA and Radio Farda trustworthy. Roughly 27% trust BBC Persian and about 14% trust the IRIB, while 74% has no trust in the IRIB at all.
  • Regarding different media’s political affiliation, approximately half of the population believe that Manoto, VOA, and Iran International are biased toward those who oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the other hand, 63% believe that the IRIB leans toward the conservative Principlists. Moreover, 30% consider BBC Persian biased toward the Reformists and 17% believe that it favors the Principlists, while 22% hold that it favors those who oppose the Islamic Republic.
  • Films, television series, and sports programs are the most popular programs broadcast by the IRIB. Iran International’s most popular programs are “Cheshm Andaz” (meaning “outlook”) and “Titr-e Avval” (meaning “headline”); BBC Persian’s is “60 Daghigheh” (meaning “sixty minutes”); VOA’s is “Safheye Akhar” (meaning “the final page”), and Manato’s most popular program is “Otagh-e Khabar” (meaning “newsroom”). Also popular among Iranians are documentaries aired on satellite channels.
  • According to the survey, around 53% identify as regime change proponents, 26% seek structural transformations and a transition away from the Islamic Republic, while 13% support the principles of the Revolution and the Supreme Leader and 8% seek reforms within the framework of the Islamic Republic.
  • Regarding the upcoming presidential election in June 2021, around 78% say they will not vote, 12% intend to vote, and 10% have not yet made a final decision.
  • In contrast with official results, this survey’s results suggest that the turnout in the 2020 parliamentary elections was about 26%.


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