At least 83 people have reportedly been killed in protests across Iran, sparked by the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini who died after being taken into custody by the morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab too loosely.
Protests have escalated across the country over the right to freedom of choice, fuelled by an underlying discontent over the state of the country. Stasis Consulting, a U.S. based opinion research firm, caught a snapshot of sentiments in Iran in July 2022, revealing how, only a few months ago, tensions had already been mounting.
According to the survey, 77 percent of Iranians thought that the country’s youth do not see prosperity in their futures. For the group aged 18-29 years old, this was even more pronounced, rising to 80 percent. At the same time, nearly half (49 percent) of the age group said that if they had the opportunity to move abroad they would, with Germany as the first choice of destination, followed by Canada and the U.S.
When asked about the main reasons Iranians have left the country in recent years, 57 percent of respondents said it was due to economic problems. However, 26 percent also said political or religious freedom was a main factor, while 25 percent said it was to look for a better life and 19 percent cited dissatisfaction with government officials. Where half (52 percent) said they either completely or somewhat disliked President Raisi, he at least scored higher than former president Hassan Rouhani who had a favorability rate of only 24 percent.
We can see that even back in July, many Iranians were skeptical of the government's choices. Where 50 percent of respondents said the proposed Regulatory System for Cyberspace Services Bill, was being introduced purely for censorship reasons, only 18 percent said it was intended to merely maintain law-abiding use of the internet.
Since Amini’s death, WhatsApp and Instagram have been blocked. The country has also seen widespread internet outages as well as reports of the disconnection or slowing down of cell phone services. Meanwhile, Twitter and Facebook have both long been blocked in Iran. Read more about internet shutdowns in places of political unrest here.
