Poll shows global opposition to Iran - and U.S.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran is the country most people around the world would like see having less power, followed closely by the United States, a new opinion poll showed on Wednesday.

The survey, which polled 57,000 people from 52 countries, showed 39 percent of respondents wanted to see the influence of Iran diminished, compared with 37 percent for the United States.

Only 14 percent of people taking part in the poll wanted Iran to have more power while 26 percent thought more U.S. influence would make the world a better place.

The poll, commissioned by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a new think tank on EU affairs, found more people wanted Russia and China to have less power than hoped they would gain influence.

Thirty-five percent wanted the European Union to have more influence in the future, while 20 percent wanted the opposite.

"The poll results show that the public does not yearn for a world order where U.S. hegemony is simply replaced by the rivalry of other military powers such as Russia and China," the ECFR said in a news release announcing the poll's findings.

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