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New polling data shows the majority of Americans are opposed to the U.S. and Israel’s joint war on Iran, and are unhappy with how the Trump administration is handling it.
The Economist/YouGov poll published earlier this week asked respondents to give their opinions on President Donald Trump’s management of the war so far. Only 36 percent said they approved of his actions while 56 percent said they disapproved.
Asked if the war is justified, a plurality, 48 percent, said it was not, while 31 percent said it was. Another 21 percent said they were unsure.
There was more clarity, however, on whether Americans support the war overall, with only 33 percent saying they did and 56 percent saying they were opposed.
Seventy-three percent of Republicans back the war, while 88 percent of Democrats are opposed, signaling a deep partisan divide. Among independent voters, who will be crucial within this year’s midterm elections, just 23 percent said they support the war, while 62 percent said they opposed it.
Additionally, one in five (21 percent) voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election also said they opposed the Iran war, a sizable split for a voting bloc that generally falls in line with the president.
The Trump administration has provided no indication of how long the war will last. With the White House requesting $200 billion in additional spending for the Pentagon, and CENTCOM requesting more intelligence officers at its headquarters in Florida, it’s looking more likely by the day that the Iran war will last longer than a few months.
The Economist/YouGov poll also asked voters how long they believe the war will last. Only 19 percent said the war would be over in one month or sooner, while 49 percent said the war would be longer than that but shorter than a year. Another 33 percent said they believe the war will last beyond that time frame.
Respondents expressed a desire for the war to end sooner rather than later. Just 24 percent said the war should last until all objectives are achieved, while 61 percent said they wanted an end to the war as quickly as possible, even if those objectives fall short.
At least 13 U.S. servicemembers have been killed in the war so far, with around 200 injured. Preliminary estimates in Iran state that around 1,444 people have been killed by the U.S. and Israel’s attacks, with 18,551 injured, though those numbers are expected to vastly increase as more data is collected and the war drags on.
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