About two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, while approval of President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict has fallen to 28 percent. The findings show broad public dissatisfaction with a war that began on February 28 and has lasted longer than the administration initially predicted.
Opposition includes the vast majority of Democrats and independents as well as 37 percent of Republicans. Trump's rating on Iran declined from 34 percent the previous month, while Republican approval stood at 61 percent, down from 71 percent in June within a six-point sampling margin for that group.
The survey was conducted July 23-27 during a pause in attacks after nearly two weeks of renewed escalation. U.S. forces had struck Iranian military and commercial sites, while Iran attacked American facilities in the Middle East. Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed since the war began.
Public priorities do not fully align with the administration's emphasis on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Roughly two-thirds consider that objective highly important, but 72 percent place high importance on preventing domestic oil and gasoline prices from rising, and about seven in ten prioritize a permanent ceasefire.
Only about two in ten adults want military action to continue. Three in ten favor a pause and renewed ceasefire negotiations, another two in ten want military action to stop completely, and roughly one-quarter do not have a position.
Republicans remain more supportive of the war than other groups, but the party is divided. About half favor continued military action, with very conservative and MAGA-aligned voters more likely to back it; non-MAGA Republicans show greater preference for a ceasefire or an end to operations.
Economic pressure is shaping attitudes. Oil exceeded 100 dollars per barrel and average gasoline rose above four dollars a gallon, while 40 percent of adults described fuel costs as a major personal stress, up from about 30 percent in February.
The poll covered 1,165 adults using a probability-based panel designed to represent the U.S. population. Its overall margin of sampling error was 3.7 percentage points, with wider margins for party subgroups, making the direction of opinion clearer than the exact size of every month-to-month change.
