According to a poll conducted by IPOS, 42% of Iranians say that wearing an Islamic hijab should be optional for women, while 38% believe it to be obligatory for religious reasons and another 15% maintain that it should be mandatory on strictly legal grounds. Five percent register other responses such as “I don’t know”, “I have no idea” and “I am not interested in this topic.

Respondents were markedly split by their level of education. A full 51% percent of those with a university degree say that wearing the Hijab should be voluntary. By contrast, 60% of those without university degrees support an obligatory hijab policy, either on religious or legal grounds.

Respondents residing in provinces with a higher Human Development Index are more likely to prefer elective hijab wearing. The percentage of respondents supporting mandatory hijabs, is significantly higher in provinces with a low Human Development Index.

Respondents’ views regarding the hijab do not vary in a statistically significant way when analyzed according to either gender or age. However, women were slightly more inclined to support compulsory hijabs than men (58% to 55%). Forty-eight percent of those ages 18 to 29 support voluntary hijabs, more than any other age group polled.

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