65% of Americans Disapprove Iran War Handling

By Staff, Agencies

Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the US war on Iran, with 65% expressing disapproval and 33% approving, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Public opposition to the war on Iran has increased since March, when 61% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the war and 37% approved. Support for the initial decision to use military force has also declined, with only 34% of Americans now saying it was the right decision, down 4 percentage points from March.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have become more negative in their views of the war, while Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents remain overwhelmingly opposed. The partisan gap has narrowed somewhat as Republican support for both Trump’s handling of the war and the initial decision to use force has declined.

The survey, conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4 among 5,062 US adults, also found that most Americans expect the war to continue for at least another six months.

Nearly half of Americans, 47%, expect the war to last more than another year, while 30% believe it will continue for another six months to a year. About two-in-ten expect it to end within six months. In March, 43% expected the war to end within six months or less.

Trump’s handling of the war continues to divide Americans along partisan lines, although Republican support has fallen since March.

Overall, 33% of adults approve of how Trump is handling the US military action in Iran, compared with 37% in March. Among Republicans, approval has fallen from 69% at the beginning of the war to 63% today. Views among Democrats have remained essentially unchanged.

Republicans have also become less supportive of the initial decision to use military force. Today, 65% of Republicans say the decision was the right one, down from 71% in March.

Among Democrats, only 10% now say the initial decision was the right one, a figure that remains essentially unchanged from March.

Higher gas and fuel prices and the prospect of American troops being wounded or killed are the leading concerns among Americans about the war.

Some 73% of adults say they are extremely or very concerned about higher gas and fuel prices, while 71% express the same level of concern about US troops being wounded or killed.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to express concern about both issues, although majorities in both parties cite them as significant concerns.

A narrower majority, 58%, say they are extremely or very concerned about the possibility of the US sending ground troops into Iran. Democrats are substantially more likely to express this concern than Republicans, at 72% compared with 43%.

Concern is lower over the possibility of terrorist attacks in the US, with 49% saying they are extremely or very concerned, while 38% express similar concern about shortages of weapons for the US military.

Concern about higher gas and fuel prices has increased since March, driven largely by Democrats. Among Democrats, 85% now say they are extremely or very concerned about higher gas and fuel prices, up from 79% in March. Among Republicans, 61% express concern, broadly similar to the 59% recorded in March.

Democrats have also become more concerned about possible shortages of weapons for the US military. Some 45% now say they are extremely or very concerned about weapons shortages, up from 34% in March. Republican concern remains lower and has changed little since the spring.