Poll: 86% of Women Have Gone Out Without Hijab This Year
Iran Open Data recently conducted a poll regarding the experiences of women who have appeared in public without compulsory hijab this year. 86% of women stated that they have appeared in public without a hijab. 83% of women say they will continue to go out without hijab in the future. 84% of them mentioned that they have always or sometimes carried a headscarf or shawl with them. 63% of these women expressed feelings of concern when they appeared in public without a head scarf. 36% of them reported receiving praise and encouragement from others. Further details of the survey findings are available below.
Following the recent protests against compulsory hijab in Iran, women have increasingly begun to appear in public without head coverings. The presence of unveiled women, even in places where members of the armed forces are present, has become an everyday phenomenon. However, information about the extent of this phenomenon, its individual and societal aspects, and its evolution over this period is limited.
Last November, Iran Open Data approached social media users about this topic and published the results. To follow up on the developments that have since taken place, we once again posed these questions to social media users.
This survey was available to users from 19th Ordibehesht to 20th Khordad of 1402 (April-May 2023). During this period, 1070 individuals participated in this poll and responded to the questions. 56% of respondents were male and 44% were female. 98% of the respondents were from urban areas, while the remaining 2% were from rural areas. The respondents were distributed across 31 provinces of the country. The lowest response rates were from North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Ilam, Kurdistan, and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. As expected, the highest number of respondents said they were from Tehran. The average age of respondents was 34 years. 40% of respondents did not have a bachelor's degree, while 60% said they had a bachelor's degree or above. 35% of respondents said they had permanent jobs, 38% had temporary jobs, 18% were unemployed or retired, and 9% were students. 37% of respondents were single, 56% were married, and 7% were previously married.
The following short report and charts provide the overall results of this survey.
Going out without hijab
- 86% of female respondents stated they have gone out without hijab since the beginning of the year (March 21).
Bringing a headscarf along
- Slightly less than half the female respondents stated that when they appear in public without a hijab, they always carry a headscarf, shawl, or something else with them to use if necessary.
- 42% of women stated that they sometimes carry those items.
- Only 16% of these women mentioned that they never carry anything.
- Women older than 40, more than other age groups, stated that they always carry a headscarf, shawl, or something else with them.
- Individuals below the age of 20, more than other age groups, stated that they never carry those items.
- Individuals with a university education (bachelor's degree and higher), more often than others, said they sometimes carry those items.
Concerns about public reactions
- 63% of women mentioned they are concerned about the public reaction when they go out without hijab
- In contrast, 25% of women stated that they did not have concerns about this issue.
- Individuals with bachelor's degrees and higher, more often than others, said they were concerned about the negative reactions of others.
Types of reactions
- 36% of the women stated that they met with encouragement and approval when they went out without hijab.
- Only about 8% of the respondents mentioned that they have experienced negative reactions.
- Respondents with a bachelor's degree and higher, more often than others, say they met with encouragement and approval.
- Single respondents say they faced approval and encouragement more than others.
- Married respondents say they faced criticism and opposition more than others.
Receiving SMS warnings for ignoring compulsory hijab
- 65% of women said they had not received any SMS regarding hijab.
- 26% of women said they received these alerts once or twice.
- 2% said they received such messages five times or more.
- Respondents between the ages of 20 to 40 said they received more than one alert.
- Respondents below the age of 20 said they never received any alert.
Going out unveiled in the future
- 83% of women mentioned that in the future, they will continue to go out without hijab.
- In contrast, 7% stated that they will not do so in the future.
- Individuals with lower college degrees state that they will continue ignoring compulsory hijab more than individuals with higher college degrees.
Family members ignoring compulsory hijab
- 81% of respondents (both men and women) stated that in the current year, at least one of their family members has gone out without hijab.
Last and current-year comparison of ignoring compulsory hijab
Last November, Iran Open Data, asked Iranian social media users to share their experiences on this issue in an online poll. Comparing the two polls shows:
- The percentage of women who say they have gone out without hijab has slightly increased. (82% last year compared to 86% this year)
- The percentage of women who say they always bring a scarf or headscarf with them when going out has decreased. (51% last year compared to 42% this year)
- The percentage of women who say they have been concerned about facing criticism when going out without hijab has somewhat decreased. (70% last year compared to 63% this year)
- The percentage of women who say they experienced positive reactions has somewhat decreased. (51% last year compared to 36% this year)
