Poll: Majority want to rid planet of nukes

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A large majority of people polled in a recent survey said they favor an international agreement that eliminates all nuclear weapons.

The survey of 21 nations, including all nations with nuclear weapons except North Korea, found that 76 percent favor an agreement to eliminate nuclear weapons, with just 16 percent on average opposed.

The survey, conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, which is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, asked more than 19,000 respondents whether countries should be required to eliminate nuclear weapons, whether countries should be prohibited from developing nuclear weapons, and if they agreed to allow strict monitors in their country.

While most people were in favor of eliminating nuclear weapons, respondents in Pakistan, Israel, Azerbaijan and the Palestinian Territories had on average the highest number of people polled who were not in favor. The countries with people most in favor were the United States, Russia, China, France and Great Britain.

"Publics around the world show a remarkably high level of consensus in favor of pursuing a step-by-step plan for reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons," Steven Kull, WorldPublicOpinion.org director, said in a statement.