The survey from WIN/Gallup International shows that if a global referendum was to be held, the pro-sanctions vote would be 11% ahead of anti-sanctions.  Among large nations, India leads the pro-sanctions group while China leads the anti- sanctions group.

Our survey shows that the world favours the imposed United Nations’ Sanctions.  According to our study, which will be presented to the United Nations Secretary General on September 15^th, out of the 61 countries surveyed, 49 are pro-sanctions, 11 are anti-sanctions and 1 is on the fence. 

If a mock referendum was held among the over 7 billion people of the world on this issue, the report predicts that, pro-sanction populations would be roughly 11% ahead of the anti-sanctions populations, with 50% being pro-sanctions and 39% being anti-sanctions.

The worldwide polling network, WIN/Gallup International is producing the report, in collaboration with the Geneva based Global Governance Unit.

The report will be presented as a policy note to the United Nations Secretary General at the opening of this year's Annual General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.  The worldwide poll surrogating as a global referendum was conducted among more than 60,000 men and women.

The study focused on 6 types of issues which can theoretically trigger sanctions. These are unprovoked military aggression against another state; genocide of groups within the country; violation of nuclear non-proliferation treaties; support for terrorists; removal of a democratically elected government and the violation of environmental protection treaties. The Index is constructed by aggregating the views on all 6 types of sanctions.

Those surveyed were selected through a worldwide lottery or random sampling to represent the views of a cross-section of the world’s population, as opposed to the states to which they belong, and whose official delegations will be making speeches and voting in the chambers of the United Nations around the same time as the presentation of this report.

The report predicts a tough task ahead for the United Nations Secretary General on getting both a worldwide and regional consensus, because of strong national and regional polarization on the legitimacy of United Nations Sanctions.

The report shows that even though sanctions enjoy an overall majority, some segments of global population hold polar opposite views on the subject. For example, while the balance of opinion, or net support, in India weighs heavily in favour of sanctions at + 40%, the balance of opinion in its neighbouring China is highly opposed to sanctions with a score of -39%.

As for the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, who hold the right to veto United Nations Resolutions, the split of popular opinion among their people is also worth noting.

USA (+35%); UK (+39%); RUSSIA (+23%); FRANCE (+21%); CHINA (-39%).