A confidential report prepared for Iran’s presidency has found record levels of public anger and support for systemic change in the country. The report, titled ‘What Iran Wants,’ was based on polling conducted by the Ara Opinion Research Center in May 2026 and circulated among institutions within Iran’s governing structure in June.

Findings of the Report

The report found that only 9% of respondents supported maintaining the status quo, with 53% calling for fundamental or structural reforms and more than 19% favoring changing the political system outright. Approximately 64% of respondents reported persistent anger, up roughly 12% points from a previous government survey conducted in December 2025.

Economic distress also appears central to the public anger, with more than 81% experiencing severe or partial difficulty obtaining enough food, while 75% struggled to cover medical costs. Respondents blamed domestic governance more frequently than international pressure, with 46.9% citing government inefficiency as the cause of Iran’s economic problems.

Implications for Regime Change

The report’s findings have significant implications for the debate on regime change in Iran. Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that the report should prompt a fresh assessment of the potential for political upheaval inside Iran. However, the report also notes that the Islamic Republic has spent decades building institutions designed to monitor, deter, and violently suppress organized opposition.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.