When President Donald Trump provides an “important update” on the Iran war Wednesday night, he’ll be addressing a nation that has been deeply skeptical of the military operation since it began.
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Polls conducted over the last month find majorities of Americans have opposed U.S. military action in Iran, although Republicans remain broadly supportive of Trump’s actions. And even larger majorities remain opposed to sending U.S. ground troops to the conflict.
As the war first began, NBC News polling conducted from Feb. 27 to March 3 found 52% of registered voters said the U.S. should not have taken military action against the country, while 41% supported the action and 7% were not sure. That was a stark departure from other recent conflicts, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when majorities in NBC News polling voiced support for the military actions at the outset.
Even as voters broadly opposed the strikes, 77% of Republicans — and 90% voters who said they aligned with the Make America Great Again movement — supported the strikes against Iran in the NBC News poll.
Since then, polls have found persistent majorities opposing the military operation in Iran, with Republicans remaining steadfast in their support.
A survey from CBS News/YouGov conducted March 17-20 found 60% disapproving of the U.S. taking military action against Iran, with 40% approving, including 84% of Republicans.
A Fox News poll conducted March 20-23 found 58% of registered voters opposing the military action and 42% supporting it. Meanwhile, 77% of Republicans supported the action and 23% opposed.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 27-29 showed 60% of Americans disapproving of strikes against Iran, while 35% approve. But Republicans were still supportive, with 74% approving of the war and 22% disapproving.
Majorities of Americans have also disapproved of Trump’s handling of Iran, with his approval ratings on the issue ranging from the low 40s to mid-30s. That’s slightly below his overall job approval rating, which is hovering around 40% in recent surveys.
Americans are more united in opposition to sending U.S. ground troops to Iran.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 3 in 4 Americans opposing sending U.S. troops, including a majority of Republicans, while 18% favor sending U.S. troops.
That opposition has persisted since the beginning of the conflict. A CNN survey conducted on Feb. 28 and March 1 found 60% of Americans opposed to sending ground troops, while 28% were not sure and 12% favored sending troops.
While polls show Americans have been divided over the war’s impact on the U.S., the surveys have found larger shares voicing concerns that the war is making America less safe.
A plurality (44%) said the action would make the U.S. less safe in the Fox News survey, while a third said it would make the U.S. safer and 23% said it would not make much of a difference.
Sizable shares of Americans have also raised concerns about the war’s impact on gas prices, saying they believe gas prices will go up because of the conflict.
Two-thirds of Americans in the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in recent days said gas prices will get worse, while 17% said they will get better, 7% said they will stay about the same and 8% were unsure.
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