Americans’ views on the war in Iran are split in ways that party affiliation seems to shape, and early polling suggests concerns about both costs at home and safety risks abroad as the conflict continues. In polling conducted since the war began, the balance of public opinion has skewed against U.S. military action in several surveys, even as respondents often describe Iran as a threat to U.S. security.
One of the clearest gauges came from a Quinnipiac Poll conducted over the weekend, which found 53% of registered voters opposed U.S. military action against Iran, while 4 in 10 supported it and about 1 in 10 were uncertain. An Ipsos poll also found more people disapproved than approved of the strikes. Similar results appeared in text message snap polls from The Washington Post and CNN conducted shortly after joint U.S.-Israel attacks began, according to the AP report, while a separate Fox News poll found opinions more evenly divided: half of registered voters approved and half disapproved.
The polling also pointed to uncertainty about the war’s justification and to skepticism about how the White House has explained the strikes. The Quinnipiac survey found 55% of respondents did not believe Iran posed an “imminent military threat” to the U.S. before the current military action, while the Fox News poll found about 6 in 10 said Iran posed a “real national security threat.” The AP reported that a recent AP-NORC poll found about half of U.S. adults were highly concerned about Iran’s nuclear program posing a direct threat, indicating that while some voters view the threat as real, they do not necessarily agree with the framing for imminent action.
Concerns about everyday economic impacts, especially fuel prices, also figured prominently in the early surveys. The Quinnipiac Poll found a large majority of voters were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about oil and gasoline prices rising in the United States, with only about one-quarter saying they were “not so concerned” or “not concerned at all.” The AP report said the highest levels of concern were driven by Democrats and independents, but that about half of Republicans were also at least somewhat concerned about the war increasing gas prices.
In the Ipsos poll, conducted March 6-9, about two-thirds of Americans expected U.S. gas prices would “get worse” over the next year as a result of the military action. Republicans were more likely than other groups to expect prices to improve, with 44% saying prices would get worse versus 26% who expected they would improve, and about 2 in 10 expecting prices to stay the same; Democrats and independents overwhelmingly expected gas prices to worsen. The same AP reporting said fluctuating oil prices were already alarming voters, and that many expected the conflict could continue for an extended period.
That expectation of duration showed up in the polling as well, with many respondents anticipating that the U.S. action would not end quickly. The AP reported that “the vast majority” of Americans expect the U.S. action against Iran will last at least “months,” if not longer. The AP also said there were warning signs for President Donald Trump as he confronted the possibility of a prolonged conflict that could produce significant economic turmoil, including that he gave conflicting messages about the war’s timeline during a Monday appearance.
As the conflict spreads in the Middle East, the polls also indicated worries about how U.S. military decisions could affect American security. About half of voters in both the Quinnipiac and Fox News polls said the U.S. military action in Iran makes the United States “less safe,” while only about 3 in 10 in each poll said it made the country safer. The AP reported that a CNN poll found about half of U.S. adults thought the strikes would make Iran “more of a threat” to the U.S., while only about 3 in 10 thought they would lessen the danger.
Trust in the president’s judgment also appeared low in the early polling. The AP said about 6 in 10 U.S. adults told pollsters they trusted Trump “not much” or “not at all” to make the right decisions about the U.S. use of force in Iran, according to the CNN poll. Republicans expressed more trust than Democrats or independents, and an AP-NORC poll conducted before the strikes found 56% of U.S. adults trusted Trump “only a little” or “not at all” to make the right decisions about the use of military force abroad.
The polls further suggested that Americans were cautious about expanding the war, particularly by deploying troops on the ground. The AP reported that about three-quarters of voters opposed sending ground troops into Iran, according to the Quinnipiac poll, which was conducted after deaths of six U.S. service members were announced, with a seventh later reported. The AP said only about 2 in 10 supported sending troops to Iran, and that even among Republican voters, the Quinnipiac poll found more opposition than support, 52% to 37%.
The AP report also said the Trump administration acknowledged the likelihood of American casualties and had not ruled out sending soldiers, and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week it was “foolishness” to expect officials to say publicly “here’s exactly how far we’ll go.” In an Ipsos poll, the AP said about 9 in 10 U.S. adults were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the military action risking the lives of American service members, including 86% of Republicans and 93% of Democrats.