Most Americans think U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, according to a new AP-NORC poll that also captures rising concern about gasoline costs. The survey, conducted as the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran continues in its fourth week, suggests the conflict could become an increasingly difficult political issue for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration even though his approval rating is largely steady.
The poll found that about 59% of Americans said U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive. It also reported that worries about the price of fuel are elevated: 45% of respondents said they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in a prior AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection with promises to improve the economy and lower the cost of living.
In foreign-policy goals, the survey found broad support for preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with about two-thirds of Americans saying that should be an “extremely” or “very” important goal. But the poll also found that Americans are similarly likely to say it is important to keep U.S. oil and gas prices from rising, a pairing that the survey’s results frame as potentially difficult for the White House to manage during wartime.
Trump’s public standing in the survey was described as steady. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults continued to approve of his performance as president, unchanged from last month, and his approval on foreign policy was slightly lower than his overall approval but also largely held steady.
The poll also found significant skepticism about Trump’s judgment in using military force outside the United States. It reported that about half of U.S. adults have “only a little” trust or “none at all” in Trump’s ability to make the right decisions about military force abroad. About 34% of U.S. adults approved of the way Trump was handling foreign policy, and the survey said the number was similar to a February measure, while it also reported that 35% of Americans had a positive view of Trump’s handling of the Iran issue.
Attitudes about how far the U.S. should go varied by party. The poll said about 9 in 10 Democrats and about 6 in 10 independents believe the Iran attacks have “gone too far.” It said Republicans were more divided, with about half describing the military action as “about right,” relatively few saying it has not gone far enough, and about one-quarter saying it has gone too far.
Energy prices and the war’s aims also showed party differences. About three-quarters of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats said it is highly important to prevent U.S. oil and gas prices from going up, but concern about current conditions was not even: only about 3 in 10 Republicans said they were “extremely” or “very” worried about affording gas in the next few months, compared with about 6 in 10 Democrats.
The survey also found that while Republicans and Democrats both prioritize nuclear prevention to varying degrees, Republicans were more concentrated in that priority. The poll said about 8 in 10 Republicans described it as “very” important for the U.S. to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, compared with about half of Democrats.
In questions about extending U.S. involvement, the poll found broad opposition. About 6 in 10 Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose deploying U.S. troops on the ground to fight Iran, including about 8 in 10 Democrats and roughly half of Republicans. The survey said just under half of Americans oppose airstrikes targeting Iranian leaders and airstrikes targeting military targets in Iran, with about 3 in 10 favoring and about 3 in 10 not having an opinion.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,150 adults was conducted March 19-23 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, the poll said. The margin of sampling error for adults overall was reported as plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The survey also described Trump as sending mixed messages about next steps. It said Trump has left unclear his next steps on Iran, with escalation of threats alongside suggestions that diplomatic talks could resolve the fighting—an uncertainty that the poll’s findings suggest is increasing apprehension about his ability to make decisions on military force abroad.