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U.S. Public Opinion Divided on Iran Military Action, Economic Pessimism Widespread in Early 2026 Polls

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Public Opinion on U.S. Military Action Against Iran: Early 2026

A majority of Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran was a mistake, and broad disapproval marks President Trump's handling of the conflict.

Multiple national polls conducted in early 2026 indicate that a majority of U.S. adults oppose the ongoing U.S. military action against Iran, while a substantial segment of the population expresses disapproval of President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict. Surveys from several organizations also show broad pessimism regarding the U.S. economy and rising gasoline prices.

Overview of Public Opinion on Military Action

Views on the Decision to Use Military Force

Several polls consistently found that a majority of Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran was a mistake or the wrong decision.

  • A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll of 2,560 U.S. adults (April 24-28, 2026) found that 61% of respondents said using U.S. military force against Iran was a mistake.
  • A Pew Research Center survey of 3,507 U.S. adults (March 23-29, 2026) reported 59% believed the U.S. made the wrong decision to use military force, while 38% said it was the right decision.
  • An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll of 1,591 respondents (conducted after the military action began on February 28) found 56% opposed the ongoing military action, with 44% in support.
  • A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,191 registered voters (March 19-23, 2026) found 54% opposed U.S. military action against Iran, while 39% supported it.

Assessment of the Conflict's Progress

  • In the Pew survey (March 16-22), 45% of respondents said the military action was not going well or not at all well, 28% said it was going somewhat well, and 25% said it was going extremely or very well.
  • The same poll indicated that 51% said the military action was not going too well or not at all well, up from 45% in March.
  • An AP-NORC poll of 1,150 U.S. adults (March 19-23) found 60% believed the recent military action had gone too far, 26% said it was about right, and 13% said it had not gone far enough.
  • A Fox News survey of 1,004 registered voters (February 28-March 2) found 50% approved of the U.S. strikes and 50% disapproved.

Presidential Approval and Handling of the Conflict

Approval of President Trump's Handling

All major polls showed net disapproval of President Trump's handling of the Iran situation.

  • Pew (March 23-29) reported that 62% disapproved (45% strongly), while 36% approved.
  • NPR/PBS News/Marist found 54% disapproved and 36% approved.
  • Pew (March 16-22) found 61% disapproved and 37% approved.

Clarity and Confidence in Administration Goals

  • A Pew survey found 48% of respondents said the administration's goals were not too or not at all clear, while 24% said they were extremely or very clear.
  • In the same survey, 49% expressed not too or not at all confidence the administration would achieve its goals; 22% were extremely or very confident.

Confidence in Presidential Decision-Making

  • Pew (March 23-29) reported 35% of Americans expressed confidence in President Trump's ability to make decisions concerning Iran, while 64% did not.
  • An AP-NORC poll (March 19-23) found 27% expressed trust in President Trump's capability to make sound decisions on the use of nuclear weapons and the deployment of military force outside the U.S.; 26% trusted his management of relationships with allies and adversaries.

Comparison to Prior Conflicts

  • The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll noted a decline in approval compared to a January 2020 Marist poll, which showed 42% approval for President Trump's handling of Iran after the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
  • The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll stated that the current disapproval level is comparable to the 59% who said the Iraq war was a mistake in May 2006, and roughly 60% who said the same about the Vietnam War in 1971.

Partisan and Demographic Differences

Sharp partisan divides were evident across all surveys.

By Party Affiliation

Republicans consistently showed majority support for the military action and President Trump's handling. Pew (March 16-22) found 66% Republican approval. The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll reported 84% Republican support for the action and 79% approval of Trump's handling. Quinnipiac found 86% Republican support. The AP-NORC poll found 52% of Republicans considered the action "about right."

Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the military action. The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found 90% of Democrats said the action was a mistake. Quinnipiac found 92% Democratic opposition. The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll reported 86% opposition and 86% disapproval of Trump's handling. AP-NORC found nine in ten Democrats said the action had gone too far.

Independents largely opposed the action. The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found 71% of independents said the action was a mistake. Quinnipiac found 64% independent opposition. NPR/PBS News/Marist reported 61% opposition and 59% disapproval of Trump's handling.

By Demographics

  • Age: Opposition was highest among younger adults. NPR/PBS News/Marist found 64% opposition among those aged 18-29, and the lowest approval of Trump's handling at 25%.
  • Gender: Men were more likely to support the action than women. NPR/PBS News/Marist found 48% of men in favor vs. 52% opposed, compared to 41% of women in favor vs. 59% opposed. The same poll found men were 13 points more likely to approve of Trump's handling (43% vs. 30%).
  • Race: Black and Latino respondents were more likely to oppose the action than white respondents. NPR/PBS News/Marist reported 68% opposition among Black respondents and 60% among Latino respondents, compared to 52% among white respondents.
  • Education: White individuals without college degrees were slightly more in favor of the action (53% in favor, 46% opposed), while white college graduates were more opposed (61% opposed, 38% supported), according to the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
  • Military Veterans: The Fox News survey found 59% of military veterans approved of the U.S. strikes on Iran, with 39% disapproving.

Perceptions of Threat and Security

Iran as a Threat

Opinions varied on whether Iran constitutes a major national security threat.

  • The Fox News survey found 61% of voters considered Iran to pose "a real national security threat" to the United States, consistent with previous surveys since 2006.
  • The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found 55% viewed Iran as either a minor threat (40%) or no threat at all (15%), while 44% perceived Iran as a major threat.
  • The AP-NORC poll found 65% of respondents considered preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon to be extremely or very important.

Impact on Security and Foreign Relations

  • The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll (April 2026) reported 61% said the conflict increased the risk of terrorism against Americans; 60% said it increased the chance of a U.S. recession; 56% said it weakened relationships with allies.
  • The Fox News survey found 51% of voters believed President Trump's approach to Iran made the U.S. less safe, up from 43% in July 2025; 29% believed it made the U.S. safer.
  • Regarding U.S. international standing, 56% of voters in the Fox News survey believed the U.S. is less respected globally than four years ago, while 30% believed it is more respected.

Concerns About Consequences of the Conflict

Potential Outcomes

  • Pew (March 23-29) found that 69% of respondents (45% extremely concerned) were concerned about higher gas and fuel prices. Majorities also expressed concern about sending ground troops, large numbers of military casualties, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, and the war expanding outside the Middle East.
  • On whether the military action would make Iran's development of a nuclear weapon more likely, 27% said more likely, 27% said less likely, and 29% said about as likely as before. Younger Americans and Democrats were more inclined to believe the action would increase the likelihood.
  • A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll (April 2026) found 63% were not confident a peace agreement would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
  • On the impact on the Iranian people, 36% of Americans anticipated they would be worse off, 25% believed they would be better off, and 16% expected no change.

Views on Civilian Casualties

  • The Pew survey (March 23-29) reported that 41% believed the U.S. is doing enough to prevent civilian casualties in Iran, while 45% believed it is not. A majority of Republicans (65%) stated the U.S. is doing enough, while 68% of Democrats stated the opposite. There was broad agreement (69%) that Iran is not doing enough to prevent civilian casualties.

Opinions on Next Steps and Policy Preferences

Peace Deal vs. Continued Military Action

  • The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll (April 2026) found 48% said the U.S. should make a peace deal with Iran even if it results in a worse deal, while 46% said the U.S. should push for a better deal even if it means continuing military action.

Preferred Approach to Iran

  • A CBS News/YouGov survey (February 25-27, 2026), conducted before the strikes, found that most Americans favored pressuring or engaging Iranian leadership. Support for U.S. military action specifically to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons increased after the State of the Union address. A majority favored economic or diplomatic pressure over military force for regime change.
  • A substantial majority believed Congress should approve military action, the CBS survey found.

Opposition to Specific Interventions

  • The AP-NORC poll (March 19-23) found 62% opposed deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Iran; 48% opposed sending government funds to aid Israel's army. While there was less explicit opposition to airstrikes, only about one-third supported them, with many remaining undecided.

Military Draft

  • The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll (April 2026) found 85% opposed reinstating a military draft, up from 73% in 1985. 54% said women should not be drafted alongside men, while 43% said they should.

Economic Sentiment

Personal Financial Situation

Multiple polls indicate widespread economic pessimism.

  • The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll (April 2026) found 40% of adults said they are not as well off financially as when President Trump took office in 2025, up from 33% in February. 23% said they are falling behind, up from 17% in February.
  • In the same poll, 52% said they have just enough to maintain their standard of living, while 24% said they are getting ahead.

Impact of Gas Prices

  • 50% of respondents in the Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll expected gas prices to increase further in the next year; 21% expected improvement.
  • 44% reported cutting back on driving due to high gas prices; 42% cut other household expenses; 34% changed travel or vacation plans.
  • Among lower-income households (under $50,000), 59% cut expenses and 56% cut driving.

Economic Expectations

  • The CBS News/YouGov survey (February 25-27, 2026) found that the economic optimism expressed by President Trump in the State of the Union address was not shared by most Americans. Expectations for the next year indicated a slowing economy or a potential recession. Overall ratings of the U.S. economy remained net-negative.
  • A significant majority of respondents believed the president portrayed inflation as better than its actual state.

Broader Presidential Ratings

  • The Fox News survey (February 28-March 2) reported President Trump's foreign policy approval rating at 40% approve, 60% disapprove. His overall job performance stood at 43% approval, 57% disapproval.
  • Two-thirds of voters in that survey expressed concern that President Trump's use of executive orders without congressional approval could permanently alter the country's system of checks and balances.

Methodology Note

These findings are drawn from multiple independent surveys conducted by different organizations using varied methodologies and timeframes. Each survey has its own margin of error. The polls were conducted at different points during the early months of 2026, both before and after the initiation of U.S. military strikes against Iran on February 28, 2026.