The survey, published three days before Friday’s Iranian presidential election, found strong support for Islamic-inspired government in the country, despite the belief of many Westerners that the 2009 elections signaled a desire among Iranians to liberalize or overthrow the religious institutions that control the Iranian state.

The study was conducted from February 24 to May 3, through 1,522 face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Iranians.
In a country ruled by an unelected theologian who serves as “Supreme Leader,” fully 40% of Iranians say religious figures should have “a large influence” on political matters. Another one-quarter, or 26%, say they should have “some influence,” while just 30% say they should have “not too much” — or no influence at all.
Younger Iranians are somewhat less likely to favor a strong influence by religious leaders in politics. Among Iranians aged 18-34, just 35% are in favor, compared to 46% for those over 34.
It’s unclear what the figures may signify. With a huge gap between support for Sharia law and support for religious leaders’ influence in politics, and with 44% of Iranians saying that tensions between more and less devout Muslims are prevalent in their country, the apparent consensus on instituting Sharia law may hide a deeper divide over what religious law represents.
In addition, Iran’s government has led a dramatic crackdown on dissent in recent years in the wake of widespread rioting following the 2009 elections. The limits on political freedoms and free expression may have some influence on the polling data. As Pew noted in its statement Tuesday publicizing the study, “Unlike in most countries surveyed by Pew Research, due to political sensitivities it was not possible to ask Iranian citizens to directly rate the performance of their government or religious institutions.”
The study also found that a majority of Iranians feel safe from “extremist religious groups.” Asked how concerned they were, if at all, “about extremist religious groups in our country these days,” a plurality of 35% said they were “not too concerned.” Another 13% said they were not concerned at all, and 14% volunteered of their own accord the view that such groups did not exist in Iran. Only 28% said they were concerned, with just 9% saying they were very concerned.