Polls show a solid majority against military action in Iran after a month of war
When President Donald Trump gives a “significant update” on the Iran war Wednesday night, he will be speaking to a nation that has been deeply skeptical of the military operation since it began.
Sign up to read this story without ads
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
A poll conducted last month found that the majority of Americans oppose US military action in Iran, although Republicans largely support Trump’s action. And a large majority still opposes sending US ground troops to the conflict.
As the battle begins, NBC News polls conducted since Feb. 27 to March 3 found 52% of registered voters said the US should not have taken military action against the country, while 41% supported the action and 7% were unsure. That was a big departure from other recent conflicts, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where a majority of NBC News polls expressed support for military action at the outset.
Even as voters overwhelmingly oppose strikes, 77% of Republicans — and 90% of voters who say they support the Make America Great Again movement — support strikes against Iran in an NBC News poll.
Since then, polls have found a persistent majority against military action in Iran, with Republicans remaining steadfast in their support.
A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted March 17-20 found that 60% disapprove of US military action against Iran, while 40% approve, including 84% of Republicans.
A Fox News poll conducted March 20-23 found 58% of registered voters opposed military action and 42% supported it. Meanwhile, 77% of Republicans supported the act and 23% opposed it.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 27-29 showed 60% of Americans disapprove of the strike on Iran, while 35% approve. But Republicans were still supportive, with 74% favoring war and 22% disapproving.
A majority of Americans also disapproved of Trump’s handling of Iran, with his approval ratings on the issue ranging from the low 40s to the mid-30s. That’s slightly below his job approval rating, which hovers around 40 percent in recent polls.
Americans are very united in opposition sending US ground troops to Iran.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 3 in 4 Americans oppose sending US troops, including a majority of Republicans, while 18% favor sending US troops.
That opposition has continued since the beginning of the conflict. A CNN survey conducted on Feb. 28 and March 1 found 60% of Americans opposed to sending in ground troops, while 28% were unsure and 12% favored sending in troops.
While polls show Americans are divided on the impact of the war on the US, polls have found large shares expressing concern that the war is making America less safe.
A majority (44%) said the action would make the US less safe in a Fox News study, while a third said it would make the US safer and 23% said it would not make much of a difference.
Large shares of Americans have also expressed concern about the war’s impact on fuel prices, saying they believe fuel prices will rise as a result of the conflict.
Two-thirds of Americans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in recent days said gas prices will get worse, while 17% said they would get better, 7% said they would stay the same and 8% were unsure.
