Decrease in public participation in the 22nd of Bahman ceremony
Every year since 1979, the Victory Anniversary of the Revolution ceremony has been held on February 11th (22 Bahman in the Iranian calendar). This ceremony has been the subject of endless debate and controversy between supporters and opponents of the political system.
About 97% of respondents did not participate in the celebrations of 2022 (1401 in the Iranian calendar), Iran Open Data’s poll charting the public reaction to this year’s anniversary shows. Of those polled, 9% said only one family member participated in this event. Another 14% of respondents said they participated in the nightly chanting of slogans, most of which were against the government.
Supporters of the current political system described public participation in this ceremony as "magnificent" and a sign of people's support for the current government. The opponents of the political system, especially in recent years, have considered it a sign of the Islamic Republic's illegitimacy, citing the limited number of participants. In this way, the level of participation in this ceremony has turned into a political controversy.
Since the anniversary of the revolution in 1401 (2022) was held after several months of political unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini, the event took on a different connotation in the eyes of the public. This year, the perennial debate over the number of participants gained more importance than ever. Government news agencies and newspapers have tried to exaggerate the number of participants, claiming that the level of public participation reached 21 million nationwide. However, there is no way to corroborate these claims.
For this reason, Iran Open Data has asked social media users to share their own experiences and observations about the celebrations of the revolution anniversary in the year 1401.
This poll was made available to Iranian social media users from March 3 to March 22, 2022. During this period, 1,280 users participated in the poll and responded to its questions. In total, 72% of respondents identified male and 27% female. Another 1% of respondents identified “other”. In total, 96% of respondents said they lived in urban areas and the remaining 4% said they lived in rural areas. Respondents appeared to be scattered over 31 provinces. As expected, most respondents said they were from Tehran. The lowest response rate was from residents of South Khorasan province. The average stated age of respondents was 35 years. 45% of respondents said their education was below the level of a bachelor's degree, while 55% said they had a bachelor's degree or higher. Additionally, 40% of respondents said they were single, while the others said they were either currently or previously married.
To provide an overview of the overall results of these responses, the following brief report and charts are available:
Participating in the 22nd of Bahman rally
- 97% of respondents said they did not participate in the rally commemorating the 57th anniversary of the 1979 Revolution.
- Only 3% of respondents said they participated in this rally.
- 91% of the respondents say that none of their family members participated in the commemorative march on February 11, 2023.
- Only 9% of the respondents say that at least one of their family members participated in the commemorative march on February 11, 2023.
- 83% of respondents say they have not participated in any of the 22 Bahman rallies to commemorate the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution. In contrast, 17% say they have participated in this event once or several times in the past.
- Respondents with college degrees were more likely to say that they have participated once or sometimes in these types of rallies than those without university education.
- Single participants more than married or previously married (divorced, separated, widowed) say they have participated once or occasionally in these types of rallies.
- Among those who said they participated in the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution rallies at least once in previous years, more than half said they last attended these rallies in the 2010s.
- 4% of respondents said they last attended in the 1980s. 12% attributed their last participation to the 1990s, and 32% to the 2000s.
- Respondents aged under 40 years said they participated in the 22 Bahman rallies in the 2010s and the current decade, while respondents over 40 years old said they mostly participated in the 22 Bahman rallies in the 1990s and 2000s.
- Married and previously married individuals (divorced, separated, widowed) mostly reported participating in the 22 Bahman rallies in the 1990s and 2000s for the last time, while single respondents mostly said they attended the rallies in the 2000s and 2010s for their last time.
- 86% of the respondents say they did not participate in shouting slogans against the government on the night of February 22nd. However, 14% of respondents say they participated in these activities.
- Respondents under the age of 20 were more likely than those over 20 to say that they participated in chanting anti-government slogans.
- 82% of respondents who said they chanted slogans said the slogans were in opposition to the regime.
- In contrast, 18% of respondents said they chanted in support of the regime.
Participation of other family members in the 22 Bahman march
Participation in the 22 Bahman Rally in previous years
More men than women stated that they have never participated in 22 Bahman rallies in previous years. Women, on the other hand, were more likely than men to say they have participated in such rallies once or sometimes.
Latest participation in the 22nd of Bahman rally
Shouting slogans at night on 22nd of Bahman
The type of slogans chanted at night