COLLEGE PARK, Md. –Multiple national polls show most Americans oppose U.S military involvement in Iran, a stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s national address on April 1, which cast the conflict as progressing toward success.
“Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks. Our enemies are losing and America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning, and now winning bigger than ever before,” the president said.
The U.S.-Iran conflict began on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint large-scale strikes against Iranian military infrastructure and leadership.
According to a Pew Research Center report released in late-March and consisting of 3,524 U.S. adults, 61% of respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict, while 37% approve. The report also found that 59% said that the U.S. made the wrong decision in using military forces in Iran, and 38% said it was right.
A Quinnipiac University Poll report, conducted in early-March and made up of 1,002 self-identified registered voters, found that 53% oppose the U.S. military action against Iran while 40% support it. In addition, it reported that 85% of Republicans support the military action against Iran, while 11% oppose it. In contrast, 7% of Democrats support the conflict while 89% oppose it.
Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University Poll political analyst, explained that this widening partisan divide is not unusual.
“You can look at any poll, just about anything now, and there’s a huge disparity between Democrats and Republicans on anything. You could talk about fracking, you could talk about abortion, you could talk about guns. In this case, it is the same story: huge support for the administration from the Republican side and negativity towards the idea on the part of the Democrats. This is not surprising.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted from Feb. 28 to March 1, based on a survey of 1,282 U.S. adults, found that 1 in 4 approve of the U.S. strikes on Iran. It found that 56% of respondents think that Trump is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests.
These polls have shown that voters’ top concern heading into the elections is the economy, not foreign affairs.
Media outlets such as CNN and Fox News published similar poll results on what Americans thought about the U.S.-Iran conflict.
CNN’s poll, conducted by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) from Feb. 28 to March 1 and made up of 1,004 adults who were surveyed via text message, found that 54% say Iran will become more of a threat to the U.S. as a result of this military action, while 28% say the strikes will make Iran less of a threat.
The CNN poll showed that 12% of respondents favored the U.S sending ground troops into Iran, while 60% opposed it and 28% were not sure.
A Fox News poll, which ran from March 20-23, reported that 42% support the U.S. military action against Iran, and 58% oppose it.
CNN found that 83% of Republicans say Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation, while 70% of Democrats and 70% of independents doubt he does. Fox News reported that 90% of MAGA Republicans supported the current military action against Iran, while 77% of Republicans support it and 12% of Democrats support it.
Polling from the Quinnipiac survey and Fox News showed widespread concern about the economic impact of the conflict. More than 7 in 10 voters in the Quinnipiac poll said they are very concerned about rising prices, while Fox News found that 80% of voters are worried about gas prices, 81% about healthcare costs and 86% about overall high prices.
At the same time, Americans remain uncertain about how long the conflict will continue. The Pew Research Center survey found that about 3 in 10 Americans expect the war to last a year or more, while others anticipate shorter timelines.
President Donald Trump did not provide a clear timeline for the conflict during his national address, instead comparing it to past U.S. wars.
“It’s very important that we keep this conflict in perspective. American involvement in World War I lasted one year, seven months, and five days. World War II lasted for three years, eight months, and 25 days. The Korean War lasted for three years, one month, and two days. The Vietnam War lasted for 19 years, five months, and 29 days. Iraq went on for eight years, eight months, and 28 days,” the president said in his April 1 national address.
Taken together, the polls show broad public opposition to the conflict, along with growing concern about its economic impact and duration. While Trump described the operation as swift and effective, many Americans appear focused on rising costs and the possibility of a prolonged engagement. As those concerns persist, public opinion could play a role in shaping how policymakers respond in the coming months.
“I think polling shifts policy or affects policy, no matter what the issue is. The issue is anybody who says politicians don’t follow polls is not telling the truth, whether they are negative or positive. They absorb them, they listen to them, and sometimes they act because of them,” Malloy said.