New research from 451 Research/ChangeWave Research shows that demand for Apple’s new iPhone 5 is strong and will remain that way.

The survey of 4,270 primarily North American consumers shows an “unprecedented degree of consumer interest” in the iPhone 5. Results show that one-in-three people are “Likely” to purchase the new iPhone, while 19% are “Very Likely” and 13% said they were “Somewhat Likely” to buy the iPhone 5.

To put these numbers in perspective, Changewave did the same survey when the iPhone 4S was released and 10% said they were “Very Likely” and 11.5% said they were “Somewhat Likely” to buy.

Even though some reporters made a big deal out of Apple’s change to the Lightning connector in the new iPhone, consumers don’t agree. The majority of respondents said it was “Not Much of a Problem” (31%) or “No Problem At All (26%),” according to the survey.

Of course, the biggest knock on the iPhone 5 so far has been with Maps, but again consumers had a different view. Nine-in-ten users (90%) reported it was “No Problem at All” or they “Haven’t Experienced Any Problem”, while 3% characterized it as a “Very Big Problem” and 6% said it was “Somewhat of a Problem.”