Gallup: 'Suffering' in Iran rises sharply

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The percentage of people "suffering" in Iran as measured by a Gallup index has nearly doubled since 2008 to more than one in four people, the organization said.

Gallup said Thursday 26 percent of people in Iran are "suffering," up from 14 percent in 2008 on a well-being scale.

That puts the Islamic Republic on par with 2011 rates for Greece, at 25 percent, and 2010 rates for Haiti, at 27 percent, the Central Africa Republic, 26 percent, and Cambodia, 23 percent.

Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling" or "suffering" according to how they rate their current lives and expectations for five years from the present on a scale with 10 representing the "best possible life for you" and 0 "the worst possible life for you." A "suffering" rating is 4 or below on the scale.

Gallup said 55 percent of Iranians said they were struggling and 20 percent thriving.

Significant increases in suffering or decreases in thriving often are indicators of civil unrest, Gallup said, pointing to declines in thriving in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain and an increase in suffering in Greece.

Well-being also is linked to the percentage of the workforce employed full time. In Iran, Gallup said, more than 15 percent are unemployed and 35 percent underemployed.

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,003 adults in Iran March 26-30, and Gallup said it can say with 95 percent confidence the margin of error is 4 percentage points.