A leaked internal survey commissioned by Iran’s presidency found that 92% of Iranians “hate the regime,” Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Iran expert Beni Sabti said this week at The Jerusalem Post Miami Conference, as speakers at the summit focused on the widening gap between the Islamic Republic’s leadership and public sentiment.
Speaking at the conference, held in Miami earlier this week, Sabti said the poll was not aimed at measuring attitudes toward a specific government officeholder, but toward the Islamic Republic’s broader power structure, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“It was a secret poll which said that 92% of the Iranian people hate their regime,” Sabti said, according to a transcript provided to The Jerusalem Post that was generated using Otter.ai.
Sabti linked the reported findings to long-running domestic crises that have fueled repeated unrest, citing water shortages and economic hardship. “They don’t have water for so many years,” he said, describing the conditions as a driver of anger toward Tehran’s leadership and policies.
While the claim Sabti cited used the language of “hate,” recent reporting outside Iran has described a similar figure in terms of broad dissatisfaction.
Survey reveals 92% public dissatisfaction with Iran’s leadership
In November 2025, IranWire reported that a poll conducted by the Iranian Student Polling Agency (ISPA) on behalf of the administration found “public dissatisfaction with conditions in Iran has reached 92 per cent,” after details were published by a presidential office communications official.
Iran International reported in November 2025 that a “confidential survey” indicated that more than nine in ten Iranians were unhappy with the country’s direction, describing the poll as prepared for internal decision-makers and not intended for public release.
Sabti also argued that the IRGC plays a central role in projecting Iranian power beyond its borders, pointing to Tehran’s regional activities and its campaign against Israel through allies and proxy networks. He described the Guards as the “evil hand” of the regime and cited Iranian activity in Lebanon and Syria as examples, according to the transcript.
Sabti, who was born in Iran and later became a leading Israeli researcher on Iranian society and decision-making, serves as an Iran expert at INSS.